The Ministry of Education in the German state of Bavaria obstructed market competition when it decided that all schools must use a proprietary unified communication and collaboration solution, alleges VNC, a Swiss/German open source IT service provider. “Failing to do a proper procurement procedure, the ministry is effectively preventing European companies from offering their innovative alternatives,” says Andrea Wörrlein, the company’s CEO.
According to Ms Wörrlein, schools in Bavaria were often not informed about the pricing model for the unified communication and collaboration solution, included in other software packages, but are now confronted with an increase in licence fees. In a public statement at the end of May, the company protested that the real cost of the software remains hidden. More than a month later, the company has not yet heard back, even though Ms Wörrlein sent her protest statement widely, including to contacts close to the ministry.
components.
VNC would have liked to offer the ministry its own alternative, VNClagoon, built on top of common open source components. “It is a real pity there was no chance to bid. This could have been a very interesting market with competing innovative European software solutions,” the CEO told the Commission’s Open Source Observatory. “Instead, the ministry simply selects a tool that is rather unimaginative.”
Strategic
VNC also says the proprietary software does not conform to German and European rules on privacy and data protection. In addition, the company writes, no alternative is offered for people who don’t want to use proprietary software.
VNC deplores the fact that, generally, European public services ignore competing alternatives offered by IT firms headquartered in their own region. The company says it is easier to work with governments in Asia, north Africa and the Middle East, where governments recognise IT as politically strategic, and are more suspicious of closed source software.
VNC’s Lagoon suite of communication and collaboration tools is used by large enterprise customers, including public services, Ms Wörrlein says. One public reference is the Evangelical Church in Berlin and the state of Brandenburg.
On 23 July, the Bavarian Ministry of Education responded that it had not received any request from the company. It also points to its call for tender, adding that future procurements by the ministry "will also be in compliance with public procurement law."