At NetChoice, we’ve long advocated for smarter practices and more competition in how the U.S. government acquires software—practices that would save taxpayer dollars, enhance cybersecurity and foster innovation. We’re thrilled to applaud the recent announcement from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), in collaboration with Google and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), for a landmark agreement taking a meaningful step toward addressing the pervasive issue of vendor lock-in.
On April 10, 2025, the GSA announced a strategic partnership with Google, securing a remarkable 71% price reduction on Google Workspace for all federal agencies under the Multiple Award Schedules Program (MAS IT). This deal, highlighted by DOGE and Elon Musk as a direct result of President Trump’s Executive Order on Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement, leverages the government’s collective buying power to negotiate better pricing and terms in its contracts.
The agreement marks a significant milestone in the fight against vendor lock-in—a problem that has long plagued federal IT procurement. Vendor lock-in occurs when agencies become overly dependent on a single provider, making it contractually costly and difficult to switch to alternatives. This often leads to inflated prices, redundant systems and heightened cybersecurity risks, in addition to reduced competition, as we’ve highlighted in our ongoing work, including our Microsoft Vulnerability Tracker and our advocacy for multi-cloud strategies.
As DOGE emphasized in their April 11, 2025, post on X, this deal is “the first of many bulk discounts” enabled by procurement reforms, demonstrating that coordination across agencies can yield tangible results. This agreement is a commendable step forward, but it’s only the beginning of what can be done by the government to address vendor lock issues that weaken American cybersecurity and raise costs of software for taxpayers.
The government should continue to be bold and go further to truly reform its software acquisition practices and address the root causes of vendor lock-in. The SAMOSA Act, which passed the House at the end of the last Congress, is backed by NetChoice and other public policy leaders. It would require agencies to conduct software assessments to eliminate duplicative purchases—a critical step toward avoiding over-reliance on single vendors. We urge the 119th Congress to prioritize passing this bipartisan legislation to save taxpayer dollars and strengthen federal cybersecurity.
Moreover, as we’ve outlined in our letter to the GSA and our writing on the benefits of multi-cloud strategies, the government must address single points of failure in its IT infrastructure. The GSA-Google agreement is a promising start, but without broader adoption of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud approaches, agencies remain vulnerable to the risks of vendor lock-in, including limited flexibility and heightened exposure to cyberattacks. Foreign hackers are increasingly targeting U.S. government systems, and over-reliance on a single vendor only exacerbates these threats.
The GSA, Google and DOGE have shown what’s possible when government and industry work together to prioritize efficiency and competition.
Now, it’s time to build on this momentum. We call on policymakers to look for more reforms that ensure the federal government can leverage the best technologies from a diverse range of providers, fostering innovation while safeguarding taxpayer dollars and national security. At NetChoice, we’ll continue to advocate for policies that break down barriers to competition, reduce waste and protect America’s critical tech infrastructure. Together, we can create a more efficient and secure future for government IT procurement.