2. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if his Department carried out a risk assessment in advance of publishing a tender to establish a new framework agreement for the provision of Microsoft solution renewals and associated services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51706/26]

Sentiment score: 0.18

The Office of Government Procurement's Microsoft licensing framework expires on 13 September 2026. The estimated value range of the proposed new framework is between €750 million and €1 billion according to a reply the Minister gave me. Has his Department carried out a risk assessment in advance of publishing the tender for this new framework? I ask this at a time when other European countries are moving away from technological dependence on American companies.

Sentiment score: 0.02

I thank the Minister of State for the answer. Have alternatives to Microsoft actually been looked at as part of the process? That is what I am asking about it. There are a number of alternatives out there that other European countries and states are moving towards. They are doing so for value-for-money reasons and so they are no longer technologically dependent on the US but can rely on European-regulated services and products. There is LibreOffice, Collabora Online, Open-Xchange, Nextcloud, Thunderbird and openDesk by Germany's Zentrum für Digitale Souveränität der Öffentlichen Verwaltung, ZenDiS, which is a readily assembled government-grade suite. Have any of these been looked at? Are alternatives being examined? They are going for alternatives in other European countries, not just so they are no longer beholden to Trump and what he does - he does not just interfere in terms of red cards but in other areas as well - but also because it is better value for money. They are achieving actual reductions in the cost. Are alternatives being looked at and if so, what alternatives? If not, why has that not been part of the process?

Sentiment score: 0.09

What I do not understand is why alternatives to Microsoft have not been at least explored as part of this process. The German state of Schleswig-Holstein recently moved 30,000 staff from Microsoft to LibreOffice, Linux, Thunderbird and Open-Xchange. It is saving more than €15 million a year. The senior Minister has just told us we should always be looking for efficiencies and reforms and I agree. Why have they not been looked for in this process? The French police, the Gendarmerie nationale, switched over 100,000 desktops to Linux. They will save roughly €500 million, half a billion, over 15 years. Are these not the efficiencies and reforms that should at least be considered by the Government? The German Federal Chancellery moved to openDesk purely to enhance its digital sovereignty. The Irish Government is leading the Council of the European Union at the moment. We are looking for more European sovereignty, for example with the digital euro, so why are these things not being considered? I am not saying they should be moved en masse overnight but surely the alternatives should be explored in terms of value for money and whether there are better options out there.

Sentiment score: 0.14

There are millions here that the Government could save.

Sentiment score: 0.49