Principle 2: Our selected open standards will enable suppliers to
compete on a level playing field
Statement
Open standards are able to be implemented by a diverse range of suppliers. In
selecting open standards for government IT specifications, the Government removes
barriers to competition, such as lock-in.
Rationale
The Government’s procurement choices have resulted in a lack of diversity in
existing government IT contracts. As a purchaser of IT, this restricts our options and
threatens value for money.
Expressing user needs in terms of required capabilities, which are in turn based on
open standards, helps government bodies to ensure that better choices are made for
service delivery through IT specifications. It also means that there is no unintentional
lock-in built into government IT.
European procurement law requires that technical specifications must allow solutions
to meet the required functionality by alternative means if a tender satisfies the
requirements of those specifications in an equivalent manner. They must allow equal
access to suppliers, while not creating unjustifiable obstacles for opening up public
procurement to competition.
Open standards for software interoperability data and document formats, which may
be implemented in both open source and proprietary solutions, provide an
environment that is agnostic and plural with regard to technology, suppliers and
commercial arrangements. They also enable the breaking down of large IT contracts
into smaller components, supporting the Government’s IT strategy presumption
against contracts over £100m.