117 lines
3.8 KiB
HTML
117 lines
3.8 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<html>
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<head>
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<title>FSFE brings Free Software to the public sector</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<a id="moreinfo" href="/activities/procurement/procurement.en.html">Public procurement</a>
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<h1>Strategic freedom: Free Software in the public sector</h1>
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<p class="background">
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Free Software is a perfect fit for the public sector. It is a public
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resource that government organisations can use, study, improve, and
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share with each other. For citizens, this means transparency, cost
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efficiency, and the freedom to interact with their government in the
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way that suits them best.
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</p>
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<p class="background">
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Yet public bodies often put Free Software at a disadvantage. This
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results in taxpayers' money being spent in ways that are often
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wasteful, and frequently illegal. FSFE works with public sector
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organisations at all levels - from the European Commission to local
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administrations - to systematically improve procurement practices
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across the continent.
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</p>
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<h2>Why procurement matters </h2>
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<p>
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Public procurement spending equals nearly 20 per cent of the EU's
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GDP. Governments' buying decisions can determine the success or
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failure of whole industries. Energy-saving technology and recycled
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paper only came into widespread use because governments started buying
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them. The same mechanism applies to Free Software. Many public
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adminstrations that begin using Free Software see their IT costs drop
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by 50-90 per cent, freeing up public funds for other uses.
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</p>
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<h2>FSFE speaks up when things go wrong...</h2>
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<p>
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Many public bodies remain locked into their traditional suppliers of
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proprietary software. At FSFE, we work with journalists and
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researchers to highlight the work of public sector organisations that
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are doing it right. When a public body makes mistakes, we help them to
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correct them. And when necessary, we put pressure on organisations
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that insist on harmful ways of buying software.
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</p>
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<h2>...and offers independent solutions</h2>
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<p>
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At FSFE, we are in constant dialogues with procurement
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specialists across Europe. We observe new approaches, identify
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what works, and provide analysis to decision makers. We help
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specialists in different countries learn from each other.
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</p>
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<p>
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We help procurement officials understand the full impact of
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their actions, and we help them to do better - not only for
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their organisations, but also for the citizens whom they
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serve. FSFE's work has helped to create policies and practices
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that promote Free Software and Open Standards in several
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European member states, such as Italy, the UK and Germany.
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</p>
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<p>
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<h2>Our demands</h2>
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Some of our key demands are:
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<ul>
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<li>All software that is paid for by public funds must be
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available to the public under free licenses.</li>
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<li>When acquiring software and contracting services, public
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bodies should make Free Software their default choice.</li>
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<li>Public bodies should archive all their documents in
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formats based on Open Standards, such as the Open Document
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Format (ODF).</li>
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<li>All public bodies should acquire their software through
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competitive, public calls for tenders based on functional
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specifications, not brand names.</li>
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<li>All contracts with suppliers should be made public.</li>
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</ul>
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</p>
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<p>
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By helping governments to buy and use more Free Software, FSFE
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is driving real change. Please support us in this effort.
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</p>
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<address>
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Free Software Foundation Europe<br/>
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Schönhauser Allee 6/7, 10119 Berlin, Germany<br/>
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E-Mail: office@fsfeurope.org<br/>
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Phone: +49-30-27595290<br/>
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http://fsfe.org/activities/procurement<br/>
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</address>
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</body>
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</html>
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