## Ramp Eyes US Government Contract After Spotting Opportunity on DOGE’s X Feed
Expense management startup Ramp is vying for a contract with the U.S. government, aiming to streamline federal spending. The company confirmed it is under consideration for a charge card pilot program by the General Services Administration (GSA). This pursuit was sparked by a tweet from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) highlighting the scale of government credit card transactions.
The government’s SmartPay program, which manages internal expenses, represents a massive $700 billion market. The specific pilot program Ramp is targeting is estimated to be worth up to $25 million, according to a report by Pro Publica.
Ramp positions itself as a cost-saving solution for organizations, offering features that identify expenses that deviate from established policies. This aligns with the federal government’s stringent policies for employee spending. According to Ramp’s Head of Communications, Lindsay McKinley, the company’s technology has already saved billions in wasted spending across the private sector. She believes that if selected, Ramp could deliver similar results for American taxpayers.
McKinley stated that Ramp discovered the potential opportunity after seeing a post on X (formerly Twitter) by DOGE in February. The post revealed that the U.S. government has approximately 4.6 million active credit cards processing roughly 90 million transactions, amounting to around $40 billion in spending during fiscal year 2024.
Ramp claims a former customer facilitated an introduction to the GSA shortly after the tweet. Since then, Ramp has been demonstrating its product and participating in the standard Request for Information (RFI) process. “We have no indication of whether we’ll be selected,” McKinley added.
However, Ramp’s interest in government contracts predates the DOGE tweet. A blog post from January, co-authored by Ramp CEO Eric Glyman and investor Kyle Harrison, outlined ways the government could eliminate inefficient spending. This post appeared to target Elon Musk’s government efficiency agenda.
Ramp’s investors also include figures connected to the Trump administration, such as Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Joe Lonsdale of 8VC, and Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared. Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and brother of former President George W. Bush, is also an investor.
In March, Ramp’s valuation nearly doubled to $13 billion after a $150 million secondary share sale. The company has raised over $1 billion in equity financing and $700 million in committed debt funding since its founding in 2019.
Whether Ramp will succeed in securing this government contract remains to be seen, but the company’s proactive approach and focus on efficiency position it as a contender in the competitive landscape of government spending solutions.