OMB takes steps to further reduce mobile services spending

The federal government has issued a third in a series of information technology policies intended to reduce duplicative spending on mobile device services contracts, according to a recent memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget.

The Aug. 4 memo notes that "each year, the federal government spends approximately $1 billion on mobile devices and service contracts," with nearly all of that spending going to four carriers. "Yet the federal government manages over 1,200 separate agreements and buys more than 200 unique service plans for voice, data, and text capability," the memo continues.

The new policy being pursued by OMB aims to reduce that spending and consolidate those contracts.

"It uses an enterprise-wide model that leverages economies of scale and builds on already existing practices within the federal government to maximize efficiencies and realize greater savings," according to a joint OMB blog post made Thursday by Anne Rung, the government's chief acquisition officer and Tony Scott, the chief information officer.

Category management tools managed by the Government Services Agency are key to the new policy.

"For instance, federal agencies, such as the Department of Energy, have realized nearly $14 million in savings this year alone and seen prices drop by an average of 30 percent for mobile services by awarding new contracts for mobile devices and services through GSA's government-wide mobile strategic sourcing solution," according to Run and Scott.

The new policy, which designates GSA as the procurement broker for mobile devices and services, will also require government CIOs to submit transition plans for adoption o a government-wide mobile services acquisition strategy by Nov. 30.

The federal government wants the government-wide acquisition policy in place by September 2018.