For years, it was not easy for public organizations in Germany to buy open-source software. The technology could be a good fit, but standard procurement templates were mainly written for proprietary software models. This often meant additional legal or contractual clarification before open-source software could be included in a purchase or tender process.
That has now improved. The EVB-IT contract templates for public IT procurement have been updated and now include rules for open-source software. This gives public administrations, municipalities, universities and research institutions a clearer framework for including Open Source solutions in public IT procurement.
The Open Source Business Alliance describes the update as a step that strengthens the procurement of open-source software by public administration.
Bitkom also reports that the Federal Digital Ministry and Bitkom agreed on uniform standards for procuring open-source solutions.
Why this matters for procurement teams
The updated EVB-IT templates better reflect how professional Open Source software is used in practice. Public buyers often need more than access to source code. They also need clear structures for:
- software maintenance and binary packages
- professional support and response times
- lifecycle planning
- documentation
- responsibilities in production environments
This is especially important for backup and recovery. Backup software protects critical data and must remain reliable over many years. Public IT teams need transparency and control, but they also need a clear support and maintenance model.
Why this matters for Bareos
Bareos combines open-source software with a professional operating model. The software is open source, while Bareos Subscriptions provide maintained binary packages, access to subscription plugins and official support.
This helps public organizations combine Open Source transparency with the maintenance and support needed for production environments.
From download to production
Open Source in the public sector is not only about downloading software. Especially in backup and recovery, organizations need a reliable setup that can be maintained over time. Backup software protects critical data and must work when restore is needed.
The updated EVB-IT help to close the gap between Open Source software and public procurement practice. They give public organizations a clearer basis for considering professional Open Source solutions like Bareos.
The EVB-IT update does not replace the procurement process. But it gives public buyers a stronger framework for planning Open Source software with maintenance, support and long-term operation in mind.
Why this matters now
Open Source gives public organizations more control, transparency and independence. That’s especially important for backup and recovery, where critical data must remain protected, accessible and under clear responsibility.
In a changing geopolitical environment, dependency on closed software ecosystems can become an additional risk. For European public institutions, Open Source also supports digital sovereignty, reduces unnecessary vendor lock-in and gives IT teams more flexibility in how they build and operate their infrastructure.
Bareos follows this approach by combining open-source backup software with maintained packages, enterprise plugins and professional support for production environments.
The current EVB-IT contract templates are available on the official “Digitale Verwaltung” website.