back to article White House to Feds: Stop buying new PCs, laptops right now

The Obama Administration has ordered US federal agencies to hold off on purchasing new PCs in hopes of patching up a broken ordering system. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has put a hold on new desktops and notebooks while it sorts through what it says are "thousands" of new system orders every year. …

  1. Paul 87

    Bets that the standardisation doesn't save any money long term and instead makes everyone have slower machines than previously available?

    1. GX5000

      It will make a few people very wealthy and drive up the costs, as usual.

      Oh, and when an exploit is found to be on every last PC/Laptop/Pad, there will be chaos.....

  2. Mark 85
    Devil

    Basic Computing Ability?

    Let's see....

    OS.... check.

    Office.... check.

    Email.... check

    Access to mainframe via browser... check

    And for the WIN!!!! .... Solitare.

    1. Herby

      Re: Basic Computing Ability?

      Let's look further...

      OS... Linux... Check.

      Office... LibreOffice... Check.

      Email... Evolution... Check.

      Access to mainframe via browser... Firefox... Check.

      And for the WIN... What can I say? Solitaire is everywhere!

      And just to make sure: ALL non Microsoft, and "free" of License fees!

      What a deal! Can I be the contractor?

      1. Mark 85

        Re: Basic Computing Ability?

        Sadly, given the nature of the Government.. Linux probably has a small chance.... very small. I recall that a lot of their PC's are still on XP. I'm curious what changes, if any, the government will push on Win10. Probably zilch... leave the telemetry and phoning home in place.

        1. Robert Helpmann??
          Childcatcher

          Re: Basic Computing Ability?

          VDI with Windows VMs seems to be the flavor of the day for at least two branches that I am aware of. Linux desktops, not so much. Macs? I know of one pilot program that went nowhere. My guess is that over time, we should expect mostly laptops for PC purchases and those only for management and essential personnel on a regular basis with a pool of loaner machines that can be checked out for people on travel.

  3. a_yank_lurker

    Centralizing the fraud and graft into fewer pockets is not going to be popular.

    1. Ole Juul

      Centralizing the fraud and graft into fewer pockets is not going to be popular.

      What! They're not going to use Microsoft any more?

      1. a_yank_lurker

        Instead of some low level slime in West Sewer, Nebraska getting the kick back all the kick backs go to a high level sleaze in DC. The low levels will miss their kick backs.

    2. macaroo

      Scam

      I was wondering how many of these government PCs end up on EBay and the employee pockets the money?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Scam

        Actually the PC makers seem to be the only ones profiting. Every so often I hear from said employees that their agency is auctioning off (or giving away) hundreds of brand new.... 5 year old Dell/HP mini desktops.

        It's just a bloated bureaucracy pissing away taxes which are clearly higher than they know what to do with.

  4. JeffyPoooh
    Pint

    The usual process to stop such activities...

    The usual process to seize-up such processes is to mandate an immediate transition to SAP.

    That approach can eliminate issuance of any P.O.s for at least a year.

    Stock up on bog roll first.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The usual process to stop such activities...

      But SAP is German. The {insert TLS name nere} can't have their data in control of the Germans!!!!!!!!

      Buy American.

      That is the mantra in the US Gov. Buy USA to protect jobs in the USA.

      I seem to remember a question in congress that went along the lines of

      "This Harrier airctaft the the Marines want to buy. What state is it made in? "

      Then another one

      "If we buy this from the Brits how many US jobs are gonna go especially in my state?"

      There is an election (isn't there always...) very soon, ok, this time next year. These Politicians in DS gotta show the flag for the US and ,... well, you get it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: The usual process to stop such activities...

        Buying American

      2. asdf

        Re: The usual process to stop such activities...

        > can't have their data in control of the Germans!!!!!!!!

        Well at least if its SAP as the original poster says it won't be in their control any time soon.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What? Why?

    Don't all goverment contracts have to get the 'best price' already? And if that's the case, wouldn't the goverment, instead, be justified in asking for a rebate from every provider, save one?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What? Why?

      The issue is not the manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo) but the reseller, who adds on a margin and 'value add' services.

      Those services and margins don't come cheap and the Federal government could probably save min 10% by negotiating a direct contract with each of the manufacturers.

  6. Gene Cash Silver badge

    "group of experts selected by NASA"

    Whelp. They're f**cked now! NASA has no idea how to manage costs.

    That's like asking the Daesh and Taliban for their best roast pork recipes.

    1. Message From A Self-Destructing Turnip

      Re: "group of experts selected by NASA"

      It would seem that to the Obama administration buying a new PC is like rocket science.

    2. Bronek Kozicki

      Re: "group of experts selected by NASA"

      Say what you will, but NASA does have pretty good idea how to turn the collection of parts from thousands of unrelated subcontractors, into a robot device running many years with no end in sight on the surface of Mars. Is it relevant experience for advising PC purchases in the government? Well, perhaps not all of it ... but they must be doing something right, no?

  7. Gray
    Facepalm

    One standard PC

    There is simply no way that this can end well ...

    1. Munchausen's proxy
      Mushroom

      Re: One standard PC

      One standard PC

      There is simply no way that this can end well ...

      Yeah. I predict some unholy concoction of SAP and ORACLE, running on Atom processors with 2G RAM, integrated by CA and supported by 'Mike' in Mumbai.

  8. 404

    Welcome to Crazy Barack's!

    'Because it doesn't take a rocket scientist to find the best computer hardware, network, and service for your Federal Office Needs!

    https://www.crazybaracks.gov <----obviously not real.

    Seriously though, why not an internal Federal Amazon website for all departments to make IT purchases? And any other stuff I imagine) Beancounters could count endless beans with bulk purchases/inventory, data security folks could quit pulling their hair out and standardize Federal networks. Win/Win.

  9. wsm

    Single-source contract

    I can tell you how that ends. A large quasi-governmental organization I knew of once had a non-technical supervisor arrange the best possible deal for "commodity" computers. The whole deal went to Gateway. Prices went up, quality and selection went down, then Gateway went into bankruptcy. Anyone who actually cooperated with the contractor instead of getting exceptions approved regretted their lack of effort.

    Government has a wonderful way of putting all of its eggs into one basket. Those of us who wish to stay sane at work need to avoid the inevitable consequences, somehow.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Single-source contract

      This state requires anything over $500 to have three competing brands of similar configurations to be submitted at the county level, yet 100% of 'state' machines are Dell, and have been for some many years now.

      Truth be told, I've witnessed BMW custom built towers, HP, and Dell cycle through one office over the years.The Dells survive the longest on a 24/7 basis, HPs burn out motherboards frequently, and just got tired of replacing parts on the BMWs. In another office, staff were gifted every year with a one old workstations. All separate entities, all in the same building. Weird, eh?

  10. 404
    Black Helicopters

    The Conspiracy Theory

    NSA calls the White House, says Microsoft isn't going to play ball with all that sweet, sweet, data being siphoned off by Windows 10. Emergency executive session of advisers commences immediately, due to the unknown data NSA has collected on their own identities. Ultimatum issued to Microsoft, they do not flinch. Result? Embargo *all* PC purchases by Federal government until Microsoft complies with NSA demands. The non-IT angle is golf.

    It's obvious...

    ;)

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's just futile

    The U.S. gov'ment is so FUBARed, corrupt, inept and apathetic that it's totally hopeless. It would be better to bulldoze over all of DC and start again with the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

  12. Nunyabiznes

    WSCA

    Several states have already banded together and have a similar arrangement in place. Just copy that and Presto! Heck, just join the existing collaboration and increase the buying power by factors.

    But nooooooooooo. We have to reinvent the wheel ver. xx with experts. Awesome.

  13. Sureo

    Simple solution

    Make them all BYOD.

  14. Stevie

    Bah!

    I worked for [REDACTED] in [REDACTED] state and well into the age of XP I was told I could have the loaner laptop I had requested some years before.

    It ran NT 4.0.

    And the government in question had a warehouse full of 'em.

    The machines were state of the art when acquired, but the process of actually agreeing who could have one meant that they were well obsoleted long before the first one was sent to the "thankful" recipient.

    Battery life was jaw-dropping too. About twenty minutes or so.

    Having learned my lesson I reluctantly admitted my ten year old request for a stapler was never going to be honored, so I bought my own, a nice red one.

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