The Bush administration is struggling to set up a Government wide licensing deal for purchasing software, the White House official in charge of IT and e-government said on 22 October 2003. The Government had planned to implement a programme known as SmartBuy, in an attempt to drive down the cost of software licensing and improve the terms agencies receive from IT vendors. The scheme is intended to work in a similar way to the UK's government wide licensing deals with several major software companies. But while the first US Government deals were due to be in place last month, the programme has now stalled.
It is thought that delays have occurred due to difficulties in structuring the contracts with IT suppliers. Some vendors are not convinced it will help them do business with the Government.
The difficulties with the programme have already attracted concerns from Congress.
Adam Putnam, a Republican Congress member, has written to the administration asking for an explanation. He said he was concerned that without any progress, agencies would be forced to renew licenses under more expensive terms.
Karen Evans, the Bush administration's IT and e-government chief, said that the concerns are being taken seriously in the White House, with an action plan formulated to bring the initiative back on track.
"We are specifically addressing Congressman Putnam's concerns in the action plan," Evans said. "We need the PMC (Presidents Management Council) to buy into the action plan because they will execute it in the agencies."
Evans also said that the Government is to step up its efforts to communicate with industry over the scheme. The US publication GCN reported him as saying: "We have to have a good business model for everyone involved, and we need to make sure they understand what the model is."
Quelle: Kablenet, 23.10.2003
