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UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Open Source, Open Standards and Re-Use:Government Action Plan
Foreword
Open Source has been one of the most significant cultural developments in IT andbeyond over the last two decades: it has shown that individuals, working togetherover the Internet, can create products that rival and sometimes beat those of giantcorporations; it has shown how giant corporations themselves, and Governments,can become more innovative, more agile and more cost-effective by building on thefruits of community work; and from its IT base the Open Source movement has givenleadership to new thinking about intellectual property rights and the availability ofinformation for re-use by others.This Government has long had the policy, last formally articulated in 2004, that itshould seek to use Open Source where it gave the best value for money to thetaxpayer in delivering public services. While we have always respected the long-held beliefs of those who think that governments should favour Open Source onprinciple, we have always taken the view that the main test should be what is bestvalue for the taxpayer.Over the past five years many government departments have shown that OpenSource can be best for the taxpayer
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in our web services, in the NHS and in othervital public services.But we need to increase the pace:(1) We want to ensure that we continue to use the best possible solutionsfor public services at the best value for money; and that we pay a fairprice for what we have to buy.(2) We want to share and re-use what the taxpayer has already purchasedacross the public sector
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not just to avoid paying twice, but to reducerisks and to drive common, joined up solutions to the common needs ofgovernment.(3) We want to encourage innovation and innovators - inside Governmentby encouraging open source thinking, and outside Government byhelping to develop a vibrant market.(4) We want to give leadership to the IT industry and to the wider economyto benefit from the information we generate and the software wedevelop in Government
 
 
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
So we consider that the time is now right to build on our record of fairness andachievement and to take further positive action to ensure that Open Source productsare fully and fairly considered throughout government IT; to ensure that we specifyour requirements and publish our data in terms of Open Standards; and that we seekthe same degree of flexibility in our commercial relationships with proprietarysoftware suppliers as are inherent in the open source world.This open source strategy addresses these key points. It sets out the steps we needto take across Government, and with our IT suppliers, to take advantage of thebenefits of open source.
 
Tom Watson MP
 
Minister for Digital Engagement
 
 
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Open Source, Open Standards and Re-Use:Government Action Plan
1. The Government last formally reviewed its Open Source policy in 2004
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Thepolicy made clear that the Government would consider open source solutionsalongside proprietary ones in IT Procurements and that contracts will be awarded ona value for money basis.2. Since 2004 the Government has increased its use of Open Source, particularly inoperating systems and middleware components of business solutions. For example:(1) 50% of the main departmental websites use Apache as the core webserver.(2)
The NHS “Spine” uses an open
-sourced operating system and, whencomplete, the replacement of Netware by Open Enterprise Server willmean that 35% of NHS organisations covering almost 300,000 userswill be supported on Linux infrastructure.(3) Open Source components are used in major mission critical systemssuch as Directgov and Electronic Vehicle Licensing.3. However since 2004 the software and wider IT marketplace have also developedto make Open Source products more competitive and easier to include in enterprisebusiness solutions. For instance:robust and sustainable enterprise-class business models for theimplementation and support of open source solutions have emerged.an increasing number of major players in the IT industry are actively engagedwith open source and are supporting the use of open standards.large enterprises, including Government departments, have started routinelyto use open source components within large, mission-critical systems; as aconsequence the different commercial, cost, licensing and risk models arebetter understood among enterprise CIOs.
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Use of Open Source Software: Use within UK Government, version 2. Cabinet Office/OGC, 28October 2004
 
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