The OneGov program has saved the federal government about $1.62 billion \u2014 including about $1.4 billion through limited-time discounts on artificial intelligence \u2014 since its inception, a General Services Administration official said Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat number may not capture the full impact because some agencies might have used the OneGov pricing to negotiate pricing on their own contracts outside of GSA\u2019s [involvement],\u201d Birgit Smeltzer, director of the agency\u2019s Office of IT Products, said at the GovCIO Federal AI Forum<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Indeed, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is one example<\/a> of an agency that has negotiated technology discounts beyond OneGov. But federal agencies only have limited time access to discounted software through the OneGov program.<\/p>\n Smeltzer said some of the original equipment manufacturers have already agreed to extend the duration of their OneGov discounts or are working on forging new offers. She did not say which manufacturers have already promised to reup discounts or when GSA would announce them.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the [original equipment manufacturers] have already agreed to extend some of the limited time offers, and some are looking at producing new offers for us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n GSA officials previously said they want manufacturers to extend OneGov deals<\/a> as they look to become direct contractors on the Multiple Award Schedule. Officials have also said they want the OneGov initiative to extend beyond<\/a> technology and software.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smeltzer forecasted that even though OneGov prices \u201cwill eventually increase, the offers have already created significant value for agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeveraging the OneGov has been tremendous in order to really prove value,\u201d said Geoffrey Sage, director of the enterprise services and analysis division within NASA\u2019s Office of Procurement.<\/p>\n OneGov is just one way agencies are thinking about AI and contracting.<\/p>\n NASA has started to talk with industry about how it should use AI in contract evaluations, Sage also said at Thursday\u2019s event. That specific application of AI has been a \u201cthin red line\u201d for the agency to date but it’s also a \u201cnecessity,\u201d he added, while noting that NASA takes a risk-based approach in deciding to use AI.<\/p>\n \u201cWe spend 85 percent of the agency’s budget through procurement,\u201d Sage said. \u201cWe can’t afford AI to trip up and hamper our source evaluation process.\u201d<\/p>\n