(Fedscoop) A group of technology companies and trade lobby groups has written an open letter to the Biden administration, calling on it to ensure federal agencies follow existing preference regulations for commercial software and technology procurement.

In the letter, which was sent on Wednesday, the companies requested also that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provide specific updated guidance to agencies on the issue.

(Politico) Government agencies are wasting money and violating federal rules by developing too much of their own software, vendors including Salesforce, Palantir, Telos, Infor and Splunk told President Joe Biden in a letter on Tuesday. The companies, along with coalitions Alliance for Digital Innovation and Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government, complained that the government is failing to enforce acquisition rules that place a priority on procuring commercial products. The letter says software products developed in-house are "almost always more expensive on the front end, difficult and costly to maintain, and quickly become obsolete."

(Politico) Forty-seven technology companies and industry groups are calling on the White House budget office to give clear guidance to ensure federal agencies follow long-standing requirements to prioritize commercially available software and technology in the acquisition process.

In a letter to Biden — signed by defense contractors Palantir and Anduril, as well as the Silicon Valley Defense Group — the companies expressed concern that those guidelines "are not always followed," driving up costs to taxpayers and hampering government effectiveness.

(Inside Defense) Dozens of technology companies today sent a letter to President Biden arguing the government needs to do more to prioritize commercial buying.

(CISION PR Newswire) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should ensure that government agencies are applying well-established commercial preference regulations when it comes to purchasing software, 44 leading technology companies and three alliances wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden today.

(Washington Technology) The past week has seen groups of commercial companies and government services contractors alike give U.S. leaders ideas of what businesses want to see happen with regard to technology in the federal environment and what an infrastructure package should include.

(C4ISRNET) Several dozen tech companies and groups are urging U.S. President Joe Biden to ensure that federal agencies buy more commercial software over custom-built versions, in line with the law.

(Federal News Network) Three industry groups and 44 technology companies are pressing the White House to make clear to agencies that they should buy software before building it. The Alliance for Digital Innovation, the Silicon Valley Defense Group, the Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government and dozens of major government contractors want a memo from OMB that clearly outlines this long-held requirement so that agencies can take more advantage of commercial innovations.

(OwnBackup | Marketing) If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that business as usual is no longer sufficient when it comes to how companies-and governments-operate. 

(FederalNewsNetwork) More than three dozen technology companies told the Office of Management and Budget it’s time to end the buy versus build debate for software. Three industry groups and 44 technology companies wrote a May 26 letter pressing the White House to make clear to agencies that they should follow this long-held requirement of buying commercial software first so they can take more advantage of private sector innovations.

(Amazon Public Sector Blog) With a new round of funding, the US federal government has the opportunity to advance the largest government-wide technology modernization program in a generation. As part of the American Rescue Plan that was signed into law in March, federal agencies are eligible to modernize their mission delivery with additional funding available in the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF). The TMF makes $1 billion available to executive branch agencies for technology modernization projects, prioritizing projects that modernize high-priority systems, address cybersecurity challenges, offer cross-government products, and improve the public’s ability to access government services.

(Fedscoop) The Biden administration’s nominee for the role of top technology official at the Department of Defense wants to see an overhaul of budgeting processes that could allow for more innovation and lower sustainment costs.

(FCW) It can be hard to breathe in the federal IT space these days, with the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) taking up so much of the oxygen. Flush with $1 billion, courtesy of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the opportunity for agency digital transformation efforts has rarely been greater. Such a substantial infusion of capital into the TMF has rightly increased the intense focus on the TMF from both the White House and industry.

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