OMB Releases Final Federal Source Code Policy

On August 8, 2016, OMB released the final federal source code policy, which requires new, custom-made source code developed specifically by or for the federal government to be made available for sharing and reuse across all federal agencies in an effort to minimize duplicative procurements and reduce federal vendor lock-in. The policy also establishes a pilot program that requires agencies commissioning new, custom software to release at least 20 percent of that code as open source software (OSS) for three years, which will require agencies to consider the value of publishing custom code as OSS and negotiate data rights reflective of its value, as well as to obtain sufficient rights to fulfill the policy’s objectives.