S. 1956: Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act

Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act

This bill requires federal agencies to assess their software inventory and develop software management plans.

The bill requires each agency (which includes any executive department, military department, or other establishment in the executive branch) to complete a comprehensive assessment of the software paid for by, in use at, or deployed throughout the agency. The assessment must include information such as (1) the current inventory of software; (2) contracts and other arrangements used to acquire, build, deploy, or use the software; (3) costs and fees not included in the initial contract or agreement; and (4) the interoperability of the software and restrictions on its use.

Each agency must use their assessment to develop a plan to consolidate software entitlements, develop procedures for cost-effective acquisition strategies, and restrict subordinate entities from using any software entitlement without approval. (A software entitlement is software that has been purchased, leased, or licensed by or billed to an agency and that is subject to use limitations.) Such plans must be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress. 

Within two years of enactment, OMB must submit recommendations to Congress regarding government software procurement policies and practices to

    • increase the interoperability of software licenses,
    • consolidate licenses when appropriate,
    • reduce costs,
    • improve performance, and
    • modernize the management and oversight of agency software.
    
The GAO must report on certain related topics, including governmentwide trends in agency software asset management practices and comparisons of such practices among agencies.