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Google<\/a> and\u00a0Amazon<\/a> reportedly see\u00a0an opportunity to gain ground in the government software market amid the\u00a0Department of Government Efficiency<\/a>\u2019s (DOGE) efforts to reduce waste and inefficiency in the federal government.<\/p>\n DOGE has focused in part on the software used by the government, and it has been estimated that the companies\u2019 rival,\u00a0Microsoft<\/a>, accounts for about 31% of the amount 24 federal agencies spend on software licenses, Bloomberg\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0Friday (April 4).<\/p>\n Google and Amazon are working through trade groups to lobby members of Congress and the DOGE liaisons at federal agencies, suggesting that government agencies could save money by opening up contracts to more companies and avoiding \u201cpredatory\u201d licensing agreements, according to the report.<\/p>\n Google aims to provide more software to government agencies, while Amazon is focusing on cloud computing, the report said.<\/p>\n Microsoft spokesperson Alex Haurek told Bloomberg, per the report, that it is \u201cconcerning but unsurprising to see certain industry players trying to manipulate decision makers, through shadowy front groups, rather than competing transparently on price and quality.\u201d<\/p>\n Google spokesperson Jos\u00e9 Casta\u00f1eda said in the report: \u201cWe\u2019ve said for ages that government IT needs more competition to save taxpayers money and improve security, so it\u2019s no surprise that legacy players prefer the status quo and criticize those who want change.\u201d<\/p>\n DOGE was created in January with an\u00a0executive order<\/a> from President Donald Trump and was tasked with updating software and technology to boost efficiency and productivity within the\u00a0federal government<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was reported March 28 that DOGE was working on an overhaul of\u00a0Social Security Administration<\/a> computer systems, migrating the agency\u2019s\u00a0computer system<\/a> of its longtime computer programming and onto a more modern equivalent.<\/p>\n On the same day, when Trump signed an executive order setting a Sept. 30 deadline for the federal government to stop issuing\u00a0paper checks<\/a> for disbursements, it was reported that DOGE estimated the\u00a0Treasury Department<\/a> could save $750 million by eliminating paper checks and associated lockbox maintenance.<\/p>\n Global professional services organization\u00a0Accenture<\/a> said March 20 that it had lost sales and revenue in its\u00a0Accenture Federal Services<\/a> businesses unit and faces continuing uncertainty due to the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to operate the\u00a0government<\/a>\u00a0more efficiently.<\/p>\n