OMB has issued guidance (memo M-16-12) to apply to software purchases its category management initiative for acquiring common goods and services, following similar prior guidance on workstations and mobile devices.
Said an OMB blog post: “To take advantage of this buying power, reduce duplication and fragmentation, and ultimately save money, the policy released today will help agencies move to a more centralized and collaborative software management approach. It calls on agencies to appoint a software manager to centrally manage software buys and reduce underutilization, to maintain a continual inventory of software licenses and better track usage, to consolidate redundant applications while identifying other savings, and to maximize the use of best-in-class solutions.”
The Enterprise Software Category Team, a cross-agency, cross-functional team of senior IT and acquisition professional, meanwhile was tasked with breaking down silos in IT acquisition. “Specifically, the team will help drive and monitor the development of government-wide software strategies, such as increasing the number and use of government-wide software agreements and improving software license management practices,” said OMB.
Other initiatives for the team will include consolidating software requirements across agencies to begin the process of negotiating two additional government-wide enterprise license agreements by the end of the year, recommending further policy changes, sharing best practices, and monitoring agency progress toward reducing duplicative agreements.
