The British educational IT agency Becta has refused to make public details of a recently signed three year software licence agreement with Microsoft, the IT news site Inquirer reported Tuesday.
The IT news site filed a Freedom of Information request on the licence deal. Becta refused to satisfy the request after consultation with Microsoft, Inquirer writes. "The documents are predominantly based on confidential material provided by Microsoft which was provided on the clear understanding that it would remain confidential", Inquirer quotes Becta.
"Disclosure of the (contract) would create a risk to Microsoft's commercial interests as knowledge of the terms of their dealings with us may put them at a disadvantage in dealings with other national procurement agencies," Becta told the IT news site. The IT organisation says it fears that making financial details public could put the achieved savings at risk and that it would weaken future negotiations.
The Inquirer: "That is something of a catch-22 for UK schools: if they disclose what Microsoft' pricing, Microsoft might not give such a good discount, but if Microsoft gets to keep its public sector pricing secret, it might help prevent new competitors from making headway. That is not to say that Microsoft has behaved uncompetitively by keeping its pricing and market size secret, even if it is the only game in town."
The educational IT agency in May filed a complaint with the European Commission, accusing Microsoft of anti-competitive licensing practises and of impeding interoperability. Last year it had filed a similar complaint at the UK competition regulator, the Office of Fair Trading.
Becta on Thursday could not be reached for further comment.
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