[plug] Fwd: Use of Open Source Software in Government

[Nathan Alberti]

hehhehehe..

"Tracy Dann (Mr)"



----- Original Message -----
From: "garry" <garbuck at tpg.com.au>
To: <plug at plug.linux.org.au>
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 2:16 AM
Subject: [plug] Fwd: Use of Open Source Software in Government


> This is the reply I received following a recent email sent to Richard
> Alston's office. I raised the issue of the savings which are there to be
had
> for simply changing to OS software. Also I mentioned the benefit to our
> foreign a/c etc...
>
> This sounds to me like typical political drivel, but I've forwarded it for
> interest..
>
> Sorry for the bandwidth if you are not interested..
>
> Garry.
>
> ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
>
> Subject: Use of Open Source Software in Government
> Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 13:54:33 +1100
> From: "Dann, Tracy" <Tracy.Dann at noie.gov.au>
> To: "'garbuck at tpg.com.au'" <garbuck at tpg.com.au>
>
> Dear Mr Buckle,
>
> Thank you for your e-mail of 3 December 2001 addressed to the Minister for
> Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard
Alston,
> regarding the use of open source software.  The Minister's office has
asked
> me to respond.
>
> You will appreciate that, in accordance with the Financial Management and
> Accountability Act, it is the obligation of all Government agencies to
seek
> best value for money and apply clear and consistent performance-based
> procurement principles to any purchase.
>
> When tendering for information technology solutions and equipment, it is
the
> Government's practice to stipulate requirements in functional terms and
then
> evaluate the responses accordingly. Typically, these criteria will include
> the ability to integrate with legacy systems (human resources, financial
> management information systems, etc), interoperability with other
agencies,
> and evidence of a strong support base for any proposed solution.
>
> Vendors offering open source software solutions that meet the published
> selection criteria are free to tender for government business
opportunities.
>
>
> Technology is constantly evolving, and demands on it are becoming more
> sophisticated.  To meet these demands, Government consistently strives to
> ensure technologies provide the appropriate service and are
cost-effective.
> Open source software has been evolving over the past ten years and it is
> possible that, as this model matures, it will have wider universal
> application to both large and small users.  In this situation it is
> foreseeable that the Government may adopt open source solutions more
> broadly, however, this ultimately is an individual agency decision.
>
> The National Office for the Information Economy is keeping an eye on
recent
> global developments in the open source software area to see how these
could
> be beneficial to Australia. When available, any information will be
> published on the NOIE web site (www.noie.gov.au).
>
> Thank you for bringing this issue to the Minister's attention.
>
> Tracy Dann (Mr)
> General Manager
> e-Government Infrastructure
> National Office for the Information Economy
>
> Phone +61 2 6271 1645
> Fax   +61 2 6271 1659
>
> Phone +61 2 6271 1645
> Fax     +61 2 6271 1659
>
>
>
>
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