Government agencies are bleeding millions on unused software - here's how to fix it

The DOGE SaaS audit: What you need to know

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) took to the X platform and uncovered a startling truth: Federal agencies are overspending millions on software they don't use. The recent software audit of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other agencies highlights an all-too-common issue—software bloat.

The shocking numbers

The findings paint a clear picture of wasteful spending:

• The SBA holds over 10,000 licenses for 10 different software products, yet the agency has only 8,000 employees and contractors.
• Nearly 17,600 unused ServiceNow licenses are draining over $2 million per year.
• For the second consecutive year, the agency has spent $1.2 million on 7,000 unused Okta licenses.
• They pay for 1,000 Slack licenses, but only 10 people use them.

Moreover, it's not just the SBA. The General Services Administration (GSA), with 13,000 employees, has:

• 37,000 WinZip licenses—nearly three per employee.
• Over 19,000 training software subscriptions, many overlapping across different platforms.
• About 7,500 project management seats for a division of 5,500 employees.
• Three different ticketing systems running simultaneously.

The cost of SaaS mismanagement

These numbers reveal a major problem, which is agencies often buy more software than they need and fail to track what they’re actually using.

This results in:

• Wasted budgets: Millions of dollars lost on unused licenses.
• Operational inefficiencies: Too many overlapping tools create confusion.
• Security risks: Unmonitored, unused software increases exposure to cyberthreats.

How SaaS Manager Plus helps agencies cut costs

Fixes are underway, but the real solution lies in proactive SaaS management. SaaS Manager Plus offers a data-driven approach to optimizing software usage and eliminating waste:

This results in:

• Real-time license tracking: Identify unused and underutilized software to cut unnecessary spending.
• Automated cost optimization: Reclaim unused licenses and consolidate redundant applications.
• Centralized visibility Get a complete picture of software usage across the organization.
• Usage-based insights: Ensure employees have the right tools without overspending on unnecessary software.

How SaaS Manager Plus helps agencies cut costs

Government agencies can no longer afford to let millions go to waste. By leveraging SaaS Manager Plus, organizations can stop software bloat, cut costs, and streamline operations—all while ensuring teams have access to the tools they truly need.

Want to see how much your agency could save?