Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 110: To ask the Taoiseach the savings that have been made in his Department through the use of open source software packages and generic consumables; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39927/10]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Procurement of goods and services by my Department is carried out under procedures recommended by the National Public Procurement Policy Unit in the Department of Finance which is responsible for procurement policy, national procurement guidelines and the application of EU directives. These procedures are designed to ensure that appropriate competitive processes are in place to select the providers of goods and services which represent best value to the Department, taking account of a number of important criteria including cost and suitability for purpose.

The procedures in place in my Department, which vary according to the nature and amount of the procurement involved, require purchasers to specify accurately their requirements; to select an appropriate competitive process whether by seeking quotations, advertising, use of central purchasing facilities and centrally negotiated framework agreements or more formal tender processes; to evaluate alternatives according to preset criteria; to agree clear contract terms and to monitor service delivery.

Open source software solutions and generic consumables are not explicitly specified when seeking quotations/tenders but if offered by providers are evaluated against the preset criteria to determine the provider that represents best value to the Department. While no open source software packages are used as part of my Department's email and work support systems the most recent website developed was built using an open source content management system.