OMB has issued a directive applying category management principles to mobile devices and services, the third in a series of IT policies aimed at making the acquisition and management of common IT goods and services more efficient, following previously issued policies on workstations and software.
The government spends some $1 billion a year on mobile devices and services under some 1,200 separate mobile agreements and more than 200 unique service plans, said a blog post by Chief Acquisition Officer Anne E. Rung and Chief Information Officer Tony Scott, who decried such “fragmentation and duplication.”
They said the goal is to streamline the purchasing process and better leverage the government’s buying power in the market, citing as an example the Energy Department’s savings of $14 million this year and a 30 percent price reduction for mobile services by awarding new contracts for mobile devices and services through GSA’s government-wide mobile strategic sourcing solution.
Non-defense agencies are to adopt the GSA solution, while DoD agencies may use that or other similar services available through the Army and Navy. And by September 30, 2018, agencies are required to consolidate all of their minute and data requirements to one contract per carrier utilizing a government-wide acquisition strategy, which may include more than one ordering solution.
“As these efforts get underway, the Mobile Services Category Team–comprised of federal agency representatives–is developing the next generation mobile strategic plan that incorporates the various requirements of federal agencies domestic and abroad, and drives continuous competitive pricing to further reduce the total cost of ownership,” they said.
Several GAO and IG reports of recent times have found wasteful duplication and under-use of mobile devices, adding that agencies pay a range of rates per line for various service combinations and pay different rates for the same bundle of services.
