BYOD Cost The Energy Department More Than Supplying Government Phones

Some Energy Department divisions were too liberal with stipends they paid contract employees under contractor-operated bring-your-own-device plans, an auditor has found.

As a result, the department sometimes compensated those contract employees more for supplying their own smartphones and tablets -- which were often loaded up with unlimited voice and data plans -- than it would have paid to give them government devices, Energy’s inspector general found.

Overall, Energy could save at least $2.3 million over three years by better handling how it buys and manages mobile devices, according to the IG report. In addition to not being strict enough about BYOD [bring your own device] policies, Energy spent $325,000 at eight separate locations on devices that were not used at all during the 2012 fiscal year, the report found.

Numerous other devices were underutilized during that time, according to the report. The department also failed to consolidate contracts with mobile carriers in order to benefit from economies of scale, the report found. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has urged agencies to consolidate mobile contracts whenever possible as part of a government-wide digital strategy.