A Dollar a Year

OpenAI first, at a dollar per agency. Days later, Anthropic, which makes Claude, the model Token Runner is built with: a dollar too, for all three branches of government. Google: forty-seven cents. GSA, the government's buyer, says these deals now reach about three and a half million federal staff. The three deals as announced: OpenAI $1 per agency (6 August 2025; ended 30 September 2026); Anthropic $1, for all three branches of government (12 August 2025; to 31 October 2026 as reported); Google $0.47 (21 August 2025; to 15 November 2026 as reported). GSA's 'roughly 3.5 million federal employees' and its $1.4 billion of savings are its own calculation against list prices, not audited. Anthropic makes Claude. A disclosure: Token Runner is built with Claude.

And the year is up. In GSA's words, it's "maturing from short-term promotional pricing toward direct contracts." OpenAI's dollar ended in September. Its new deal charges for every use, at half price. Anthropic's dollar runs to the thirty-first of October. Google's, to mid-November.

OpenAI's new deal (GSA, 10 September 2026): "a 50% discount on token-based usage", "no platform-access fee, no minimum orders, and no spend commitment"; 'charges for every use, at half price' is the plain gloss. GSA's Laura Stanton: "consumption-based access is the next logical step"; Nextgov's reading is that the shift "will likely include higher costs for agencies". OpenAI's list price, $15 per user per month as Nextgov gives it, is an illustration only. Anthropic's and Google's end dates are as Nextgov reported them from GSA's listings.

On the twenty-seventh of October, GSA announced what comes next for Anthropic: in its words, a "40% discount on token-based usage", and "no minimum orders". Like OpenAI's, it charges for every use, at a discount.

GSA, 27 October 2026: "Discounted, consumption-based access: 40% discount on token-based usage across Claude models available to the government, including FedRAMP-authorized environments for sensitive unclassified work"; "No minimum orders: agencies pay only for what they use, with no minimum purchase required." It states no term or dates and doesn't mention the $1 offer; its own line on what comes after: "As offers expire, GSA will renew agreements where appropriate." In Anthropic's own post the same day, the discount covers Claude Enterprise, Claude for Government and the Claude API, extends to state, local and tribal governments, and Anthropic estimates it will save the government $1 billion. Anthropic makes Claude. A disclosure: Token Runner is built with Claude.

Days before, the health department said it planned what it calls "a temporary six-month sole-source bridge contract" with Anthropic, without competition, to keep Claude running.

HHS's notice of intent to award sole source (7571TE27R00001), posted 19 October 2026, responses due 21 October: "continued enterprise access to Anthropic's Claude.. pending award of the competitive HHS Enterprise Frontier SI Models and Advanced Features multiple-award BPA". A notice of intent, not yet an award; no value given (FedScoop's 'under $350,000' is its inference). Anthropic makes Claude. A disclosure: Token Runner is built with Claude. Whether the bridge still goes ahead after GSA's new agreement, we don't know.

This is the same company the President ordered every federal agency to stop using, in February. In March, a federal judge blocked that order. The case goes on.

The Presidential Directive of 27 February 2026 ordered all federal agencies to cease use of Anthropic's technology. On 26 March 2026 Judge Rita F. Lin of the US District Court for the Northern District of California enjoined it (Anthropic PBC v. U.S. Department of War, 26-cv-01996), "pending final resolution of this action or further order of this Court". Only the order and the injunction are stated here, nothing beyond the court record. Anthropic makes Claude. A disclosure: Token Runner is built with Claude.

Procurement experts saw this coming. Jessica Tillipman of George Washington University called the dollar price "a nominal cost that makes the transaction sound exciting and low risk, while the true economics… arrive later." Her verdict: "The leverage agencies have today will not survive renewal."

The first line as quoted by FedScoop; the cut is "such as lifecycle costs, operational dependency, and reduced negotiating leverage". The verdict is in her paper, 'Twenty-Five Cent AI: The Hidden Costs of Promotional AI Deals'. In the same piece, Greg Barbaccia, then federal CIO, said: "I don't think it's going to be $1. I think it'll be transparent at least.." FedScoop also reports that 27% of government professionals use unsanctioned AI tools (Thomson Reuters).

A dollar bought a year. The next bill is the one that counts.

No claim is made here about future prices. What we couldn't confirm: Whether the 2026 Claude listing is 'per user' (Nextgov). The HHS contract's value. Whether HHS's bridge contract still goes ahead after GSA's agreement of 27 October.