FACIL, a non-profit association which promotes the collective appropriation of Free Software, has filed a motion before the Quebec Superior Court contesting the purchasing methods of the Quebec government. Between Feb and June 2008 the government purchased proprietary software from Microsoft worth in the region of 25 million dollars. In Quebec the government has a public market policy which requires them to stimulate competition and look for local alternatives. Going direct to Microsoft without going to tender is clearly going against the very rules the government themselves set out.
Free Software utilization in public administration could potentially create thousands of jobs and significantly lower the costs of software licensing. Quebecs government have refused to cooperate thus far with regards to implementing Free Software. FACIL hope that by bringing this matter to the attention of the court, the public market law will be respected in future.
“the government purchased proprietary software from Microsoft worth in the region of 25 million dollars”
and I bet that the same government subscribes to Edward de Bono’s thinking – as if he is he only thinker in the last 100 years …
Thanks for drawing this to our attention.