WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), James Lankford (R-OK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets (SAMOSA) Act to save taxpayer dollars by improving how federal agencies purchase and manage software. The bill would require federal agencies to conduct independent, comprehensive assessments of their software licensing purchases and develop plans to save costs. These assessments will provide Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the General Services Administration (GSA) with critical insights to strengthen oversight of software contracts, streamline operations, and reduce wasteful spending.
“President Trump wants to cut waste and spend taxpayer dollars wisely,” said Dr. Cassidy. “By consolidating their inventory, this bill forces federal agencies to spend as if taxpayers were spending their own money.”
“The federal government’s ancient computers and outdated, noncompetitive bidding process for software contracts cost taxpayers hundreds of millions every year,” said Senator Ernst. “Through the SAMOSA Act, we can bring Washington out of the Stone Age and into the 21st century to save Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars. Let’s pass this bipartisan bill to force federal agencies to take commonsense steps when purchasing software.”
The SAMOSA Act is supported by the Federal Affairs for the Computer & Communications Industry Association, the Alliance for Digital Innovation, and the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing Executive Director.
“A comprehensive overview of federal software licensing will increase agency coordination and help realize new ways to advance projects, which directly benefit U.S. taxpayers,” said Brian McMillan, Vice President, Federal Affairs for the Computer & Communications Industry Association. “We encourage policymakers to recognize the far-reaching positive impacts of this bill.”
“The government needs to know what it’s buying as agencies move rapidly to modern, secure cloud-based solutions,” said Ross Nodurft, Executive Director of Alliance for Digital Innovation. “We support providing agencies with the knowledge they need to make the most informed technology decision possible to support their missions.”
“We are thrilled to see lawmakers coming together to support the SAMOSA Act and address the government waste resulting from restrictive software licensing practices,” said Ryan Triplette, Coalition for Fair Software Licensing Executive Director. “The coalition applauds Senators Peters, Cassidy, and Ernst for leading on this important issue and working to drive significant cost savings and improvements in federal software management. We look forward to working with lawmakers in both chambers to put this bill on the President’s desk as soon as possible.”
Background
Federal agencies spend billions of dollars on software purchases and license updates every year. Agencies’ lack of visibility of what they have already purchased, combined with the way vendors sell software, often leads to duplicative purchases and limits agencies’ ability to conduct their own oversight of these purchases. The SAMOSA Act would help agencies get fairer, more cost-effective deals on their software purchases and achieve important technology modernization goals.
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