Opinions differ among federal acquisition experts as to whether or not the new policy will have a measurable, positive impact. An interagency working group of computer experts will work with agency CIOs and the vendor community to identify the attributes of standard or upgraded laptops and desktops every six months beginning in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015, the memo said.
Variations in these attributes will require OMB approval. In addition, the Federal government will determine the attributes and allowable upgrades agencies may purchase, in an effort to standardize computer usage across all agencies, the memo said. These contracts include: NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) General Services Administration (GSA) IT Schedule 70 and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), NITAAC Chief lnformation Officer Commodities and Solutions (CIO-CS). The memo directs all civilian agencies to stop managing the purchase of their own laptops and desktops, requiring them, instead, to purchase through existing “best value” governmentwide contracts. The new policy guidance is aimed at enhancing the government’s buying power by reducing the number of contracts agencies can use for commodity IT purchases and standardizing desktop and laptop configurations. Chief IInformation Officer Tony Scott and Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Anne Rung put a halt to what they characterized as disjointed and inefficient desktop and laptop acquisition practices within federal agencies. 16 memo to all federal agency and department heads, U.S. The Office of Management and Budget announced a new policy last Friday that effectively bars Federal agencies and departments from buying the laptops or desktops of their choice.
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