A new House proposal is hoping to reform the way the Department of Veterans Affairs oversees its software by requiring the agency to be more transparent about how it uses its current products.
The legislation, introduced on Thursday by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., would direct the VA secretary “to establish and implement a comprehensive policy for managing software assets throughout the Department.”
These steps include requiring VA to create a departmentwide software inventory and purge duplicative or inefficient services. “Major software acquisitions” would also be coordinated by the chief information officer, and the department would be directed to “adopt cost-effective licensing strategies, including enterprise-wide agreements where appropriate.”
In addition, VA employees involved in software procurement or management would be required to undergo annual training, and the department would also be tasked with providing a report to Congress each year on cost savings, oversight improvements and progress on software implementation.
“The VA spends nearly a billion dollars on software with no tracking system, leading to duplicate licenses and millions in wasted taxpayer funds,” Mace said in a statement. “This is basic fiscal responsibility to safeguard taxpayer dollars, and supports President [Donald] Trump’s commitment to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.”
The bill’s introduction comes after the VA has admitted to challenges overseeing the services it has purchased.
When Federal Chief Information Officer Gregory Barbaccia asked agencies in March to provide him with, in part, “a “full inventory of all software licenses and associated contracts,” VA reportedly said that license usage and quantities were “unknown” for tens of millions of dollars’ worth of services across its operations.
During a House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee hearing in March, a VA official told lawmakers the department had gained “100% visibility” into its total inventory of software licenses. At the time, he said this included 4,433 commercial off-the-shelf products and another 224 software-as-a-service offerings.
Mace’s new measure has already received the support of Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., who chairs the House panel overseeing VA. In a statement, Bost said the proposal would require the department “to manage its software strategically, improve cybersecurity safety, and modernize its digital infrastructure to give veterans the best possible systems to delivery [sic] care and services.”
