LegisTrack
Back to all bills
HR 5457119th CongressIntroduced

Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act

Introduced: Sep 18, 2025
Technology & Innovation
View on Congress.gov
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act aims to improve how federal agencies manage, track, and purchase software. The bill requires each federal agency to conduct a comprehensive assessment of all software they pay for, use, or deploy within 18 months of enactment. Based on these assessments, agencies must develop plans to consolidate software licenses, eliminate wasteful spending on unused or duplicate software, and adopt more cost-effective purchasing strategies. The legislation seeks to increase transparency and accountability in government software spending while reducing costs and improving interoperability across agency systems. The bill excludes intelligence community elements from most public reporting requirements but requires them to conduct similar assessments with appropriate security protections.

Key Points

  • 1Comprehensive Software Assessment: Requires each agency's Chief Information Officer to complete a detailed inventory of all software entitlements, contracts, and deployments, including identification of unused licenses, duplicative purchases, and total costs including cloud services and upgrades
  • 2Modernization Plans: Agencies must develop plans to consolidate software licenses, adopt enterprise licensing strategies, restrict unauthorized software purchases by individual bureaus, and train personnel on effective software acquisition practices
  • 3Centralized Approval Process: Restricts the ability of individual bureaus or components within agencies to acquire software without approval from the agency's Chief Information Officer and Chief Acquisition Officer
  • 4Interoperability Focus: Requires agencies to assess and improve software interoperability across their systems and identify provisions in contracts that restrict how software can be deployed or accessed
  • 5Oversight and Reporting: Mandates submission of assessments and plans to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Government Accountability Office, with GAO required to produce a report on government-wide trends within three years

Impact Areas

Federal Agencies: All executive branch agencies must conduct comprehensive software inventories and implement new centralized approval processes for software purchasesTaxpayers and Federal Budget: Potential for significant cost savings through elimination of unused licenses, consolidation of contracts, and more strategic purchasing approachesSoftware Vendors: May face increased scrutiny of contract terms, particularly provisions that restrict software deployment or create vendor lock-in situationsAgency IT and Procurement Staff: Will require training on new policies and procedures for software acquisition and managementIntelligence Community: Subject to similar requirements but with separate reporting channels and security protections for sensitive information
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929 on Oct 2, 2025