Strategic Drivers of Open Source Software Adoption in the Public Sector: Challenges and Opportunities

This paper draws upon the results of a qualitative study on the procurement and adoption of open source software by public sector organizations spanning Europe, Brazil and the USA. The premise of this work was to understand the role ‘cost’ or total cost of ownership of software plays in government procurement decisions. We found, however, that this was more a rhetoric to gain acceptance for open source and to achieve a level playing field. Interviews with key stakeholders from government agencies and system integrators led us to understand and organize our findings on open source adoption under four broad categories; economic concerns, technical and development features, risk management, and innovation and strategic issues. We conclude with a number of insights to help other public sector organizations make better procurement decisions for information technology.

[1]  Mark K. Cassell.  Why Governments Innovate: Adoption and Implementation of Open Source Software by Four European Cities , 2008 .

[2]  Finn Wynstra,et al.  Total Cost of Ownership in the Services Sector: A Case Study , 2006 .

[3]  Giancarlo Succi,et al.  Adopting Open Source Software: A Practical Guide , 2011 .

[4]  Anselm L. Strauss,et al.  Basics of qualitative research : techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory , 1998 .

[5]  Tony Cornford,et al.  'Letting go of Control' to Embrace Open Source: Implications for Company and Community , 2010, 2010 43rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[6]  Bernard Reddy,et al.  Government Preferences for Promoting Open-Source Software: A Solution in Search of a Problem , 2002 .

[7]  Yves Pigneur,et al.  Clarifying Business Models: Origins, Present, and Future of the Concept , 2005, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[8]  Linus Dahlander.  Penguin in a new suit: a tale of how de novo entrants emerged to harness free and open source software communities , 2007 .

[9]  Paul Kavanagh,et al.  The Open Source Definition , 2004 .

[10]  Rob Miller,et al.  Progressive open source , 2002, Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Software Engineering. ICSE 2002.

[11]  Chris DiBona,et al.  Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution , 1999 .

[12]  Michael J. Gallivan,et al.  Organizational adoption and assimilation of complex technological innovations: development and application of a new framework , 2001, DATB.

[13]  L. Ellram.  Total cost of ownership: an analysis approach for purchasing , 1995 .

[14]  Brian Fitzgerald,et al.  The Transformation of Open Source Software , 2006, MIS Q..

[15]  Pär J. Ågerfalk,et al.  Outsourcing to an Unknown Workforce: Exploring Opensourcing as a Global Sourcing Strategy , 2008, MIS Q..

[16]  J. West,et al.  Challenges of Open Innovation: The Paradox of Firm Investment in Open-Source Software , 2006 .

[17]  F. Wynstra,et al.  The adoption of total cost of ownership for sourcing decisions--a structural equations analysis , 2005 .

[18]  Joel West,et al.  How open is open enough?: Melding proprietary and open source platform strategies , 2003 .

[19]  Teresa S. Waring,et al.  Open Source Software implementation in the UK public sector: Evidence from the field and implications for the future , 2005, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[20]  Giancarlo Succi,et al.  A Cost Model of Open Source Software Adoption , 2009, Int. J. Open Source Softw. Process..

[21]  Tony Cornford,et al.  Framing the Conundrum of Total Cost of Ownership of Open Source Software , 2011, OSS.

[22]  Aaron Shaw.  Insurgent Expertise: The Politics of Free/Livre and Open Source Software in Brazil , 2011 .

[23]  Stephen L. Vargo,et al.  Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing , 2004 .

[24]  Giancarlo Succi,et al.  MIGRATING PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONS TO OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE , 2004 .

[25]  Andrew Oram,et al.  Promoting Open Source Software in Government: The Challenges of Motivation and Follow-Through , 2011 .

[26]  Lisa M. Ellram,et al.  A Framework for Total Cost of Ownership , 1993 .

[27]  Edgar A. Maldonado.  The Process of Introducing FLOSS in the Public Administration: The Case of Venezuela , 2010, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[28]  Mark A. Schankerman,et al.  The Comingled Code: Open Source and Economic Development , 2010 .