Vendor lock-in finds a new home in AI, and a contract clause won’t fix it
The U.S. General Services Administration has introduced a contract clause aimed at preventing vendor lock-in in AI procurement, but observers note that writing the rule is the easy part — actually enforcing it is another matter.
Why this matters: Government agencies that get locked into a single AI vendor lose the ability to switch, negotiate, or hold that vendor accountable. A contract clause sounds like protection, but it only works if someone enforces it. Procurement rules have always been easy to write and hard to police. If the GSA cannot back this clause with real oversight, agencies will keep building on platforms they cannot leave — and the public pays the price when those platforms underperform, raise prices, or disappear.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · General readers · AI governance · Policy
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