Why is Windows 7 to be the new Commission operating system?

12.4.2011

Question for written answer E-003906/2011
to the Commission
Rule 117
Mary Honeyball (S&D)

The Commission has announced that it will be upgrading its 36000 desktop computers to the operating system Windows 7.

This very large contract appears to have been awarded to Microsoft without any public tender, going against the normal Commission procedure.

Also, the contract will lock the Commission into this particular operating system for the next four to five years, going against the guidelines it set itself about not being ‘locked in’ to any public procurement contract for more than one or two years.

Given this, could the Commission please explain how this decision was reached and whether the procedure for such decisions can be made more transparent in future?

OJ C 314 E, 27/10/2011