In a significant step toward improving efficiency in federal software development, President Joe Biden has signed into law a groundbreaking bill that requires U.S. government agencies to share custom-developed source code with each other. The legislation, known as the Source Code Harmonization and Reuse in Information Technology (H.R. 9566), or the SHARE IT Act, aims to curb the nearly $12 billion the federal government spends annually on software purchases.
The bill seeks to prevent redundant software development contracts by ensuring that custom code developed by one agency is made publicly available for use by others. By streamlining the process, the law aims to eliminate the inefficiency caused when agencies unknowingly contract developers to build software already created by other agencies.
The new law mandates that federal agencies publicly list and share any custom software code they develop. It does not apply to classified code, national security systems, or code that may pose privacy risks. This will help ensure that government agencies don’t inadvertently pay for software that already exists, thus reducing taxpayer spending and fostering greater transparency across the federal IT landscape.
The bill was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers: Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), along with Representatives Nicholas Langworthy (R-N.Y.) and William Timmons (R-S.C.). The legislation passed both chambers of Congress in December with overwhelming support, marking a rare moment of unity on technology and government efficiency issues.
One of the bill’s core goals is to foster collaboration and reduce waste in software development. Under the law, federal agencies are required to develop policies within 180 days of enactment to implement the sharing of custom-developed source code. These policies will ensure that the code aligns with best practices, and they must establish clear processes for making metadata—such as contract details and repository links—publicly available.
Agencies will also need to ensure that custom code repositories are easily accessible, with metadata that includes information about whether the code was developed under a contract, the associated contract number, and a direct link to the code’s repository. This transparency will help agencies avoid duplicative efforts and encourage innovation across government platforms.
The SHARE IT Act has garnered significant support from the technology industry. Collaborative software companies like Atlassian and GitLab have publicly backed the bill. In a statement supporting the legislation, Stan Shepard, General Counsel for Atlassian, emphasized the importance of collaboration in federal software development. “We believe that greater collaboration and the sharing of custom code will promote openness, efficiency, and innovation across the federal enterprise,” he said.
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