How can my institution use open source software?

Open source software can allow universities and colleges to evaluate and try out software without major up-front investment.

Anyone can download the source code of open source software, then view or alter it without paying a licence fee.

Programmes can be customised to make organisations more efficient, either by developing them in-house or by paying external developers.

What you can do

Consider open source

You already know that each software procurement should be evaluated on its own merits, but you will need a specific policy on managing open source engagement - see our advice for strategic IT decision makers.

Understand the benefits of open source software

Some of the benefits of open source software include the capacity to customise it to your own requirements, fix bugs or flaws directly and choose how much of the development work you want to outsource or do in-house.

How to purchase open source software

Open source procurement is different from the standard invitations to tender used for proprietary software, but open source is not cost free. Up-front costs might be low, but you still need to factor in running costs over the software’s lifetime, eg training and the cost of any third party support contracts.

Since the source code is freely available, organisations can be much more flexible in choosing and changing suppliers because there is no danger of getting locked-in with a vendor. Read our guide to procuring open source software.

Computer software is protected by copyright law

Open source licences promote wide distribution of software and encourage users to modify your source code to improve your software. Our guide can help you assess the implications.

Join the community

A community of users and developers maintain the software.  You can increase the chances of community engagement with your software by making use of a well-run community infrastructure and an efficient process for releasing software updates. 

The Wookie case study outlines how one project engaged with a business to ensure the sustainability of their software.