Federal agencies are increasingly gaining access to substantial software discounts through vendor-driven agreements. ServiceNow, for example, offers reductions of up to 70% on selected solutions. Oracle and Microsoft have extended similar OneGov agreements, designed to help government organizations secure mission-critical software at a fraction of the commercial price.
Vendor discounts can lower the price you pay for software. However, they don’t guarantee value.
Agencies realize the full benefit only when discounts are paired with real‑time license tracking, usage analytics, and governance that align spend to mission demand. The payoff: lower total cost, reduced audit risk, and faster access to the tools engineers need.
CONNECT: Don’t Let Savings Sit Idle
The Gap: Discounted Price ≠ Realized Value
Many suppliers offer significant public‑sector discounts and enterprise agreements. Yet engineering and simulation tools—common across defense, aerospace, energy, and infrastructure—remain among the most expensive and operationally critical. Without active oversight:
- Overprovisioning ties up budget in idle licenses.
- Under‑provisioning causes access denials and schedule delays.
- Inefficient allocation misaligns license availability with real demand.
- Compliance gaps elevate audit exposure and penalties.
What it Means in Dollars
A package priced at $40,000 per license is purchased at 50% off. The discounted price is $20,000.
If 20% of a 500‑seat portfolio sits idle, that’s 100 unused seats × $20,000 = $2,000,000 of wasted spend—even after the discount.
What Good Looks Like
Leaders close the gap between procurement savings and operational value by putting usage data at the center of decisions:
- Granular usage tracking — who uses what, when, and for how long (including denials).
- Real‑time visibility — dashboards and alerts that surface contention, idle time, and trends.
- Forecasting & planning — align entitlements to mission tempo and peak demand.
- Audit readiness — reconciled, evidence‑ready reporting mapped to contracts.
RESULT: Discounts turn into repeatable cost avoidance and reliable access for mission teams.
How Open iT Helps
Open iT specializes in engineering and other specialized software portfolios. We are a GSA-certified software license management provider with the platform and expertise to help agencies:
- Allocate where it matters — data‑driven harvesting and right‑sizing by team, program, and feature.
- Eliminate waste — identify long checkouts, hoarding, and low‑use features to reclaim spend.
- Strengthen compliance — detailed, audit‑ready utilization and entitlement reporting.
- Negotiate smarter — use real utilization data to shape terms and avoid overbuying.
- Prove ROI — connects license decisions to budget outcomes and mission impact.
Bottom line
Discounts lower price. License intelligence delivers value. Pairing the two ensures every software dollar advances operational objectives while reducing risk.
Connect with Open iT and Let’s talk about turning your current discounts into measurable, lasting value.
Don’t Let Savings Sit Idle.
