The week before last the EuropeanCommission issued a Communication “Against lock-in: building open
ICT systems by making better use of standards in public procurement”.
(COM(2013) 455 - together with SWD(2013) 224). This results from
Digital Agenda Action Item 23. The objective is to provide guidance
on ICT procurement for better procurement by putting more stress on
standards and achieving more openness with open ICT infrastructures
in public administrations. And this Communication complements a
number of other Commission initiatives and guides, above all the
European Interoperability Framework. But it also refers to how the
new EU Regulation on Standardisation (1025/2012) can help to make use of
best-of-breed global ICT standards.
I could be very brief by saying the
guide is extremely good. Please read it – it's available on the
Commission web site. And public authorities: please make use of it.
The open way which is standards based is the better way for
increasing choice, flexibility and allowing the uptake of innovative
new technologies.
The Communication was presented alongwith the statement that the use of “Open standards would save
public sector €1 billion a year”. Personally, I am always
cautious with such savings statements. But for sure: Open Standards
are a way to achieve cost effectiveness, reduce exit costs for
technologies and stifle competition and enable greater choice.
The key aspect, to avoid lock-in, is in
the focus of the documents:
“Using ICT systems based on standards instead of proprietary technology will help to open up restrictive public procurement practices, because standards make essential knowledge about a system available to anyone, implying that other potential suppliers could maintain or evolve the system under more competitive terms and conditions.” (Communication, p. 4)
The Guide, published as a Staff Working
Document (SWD), is composed to give practical advice on how to
proceed for analysis in decision making when taking procurement
decisions around ICT. It is clearly structured – and I would add
worth reading and inspiring also for non-procurers. It covers the
different steps from strategy building to long term budgetary
planning. All in all a comprehensive approach with high practical
relevance.
The benefits of standards is a key
aspect addressed. Or better: procurers are guided towards putting a
strong focus on standards, building expertise around standards and
standardisation and how to assess what is required to meet their
needs. And the Guide is not shy in clearly stating that “FRAND
licenses create barriers for Open Source projects to implement the
technical specification” (Guide, p. 12), which needs to be considered in the
context of software interoperability standards.
All in all two very good and useful
documents from the Commission. Some people in their reactions over
the last two weeks criticised that the Commission is not going far
enough. E.g. that practical interoperability is hampered because the
Commission does not act accordingly, e.g. when it comes to document
formats. While this may be correct, it is more an issue of the
implementation of the Guide than of the Guide as such. And this is
also my wish: that the Guide may be promoted and find many followers
in public procurement. Following the Guide will promote
interoperability and will push the implementation of open ICT
ecosystems – with all benefits regarding freedom of choice,
encouraging competition and innovation, and driving the uptake of new
ICT technologies in the European public sector.
