Thirteen members of the Swiss parliament are asking the government to demand the right to adapt the source code of GEVER, the record management system commissioned by the government and under development since 2008. The MPs say this will help to end the government's lock-in by proprietary software firms.

In May, Swiss newspapers reported that the 100 million Swiss franc (about 80 million euro) GEVER project threatened to fail, depending on the outcome of a conflict over the renewal of licences with an Austrian software firm involved in the project. The federal authorities paid 9 million Swiss francs (about 7 million euro) to renew licences for the proprietary software solution for the next two years, using an exception to bypass procurement rules, according to the Swiss newspaper Sonntags Blick.

Show the code

In a motion submitted last week Friday, the MPs, all members of the Swiss parliament group on Digital Sustainability, are asking the government to demand the right to access the application's source code. "The public administration should have full access and the right to have other parties to adapt this code." The group also wants the government to retain copyright over any future modifications to the application.

The Federal government wants all government departments to switch to managing their business processes electronically, using the GEVER system, with 2015 as the deadline. The GEVER software has many government business processes built-in. However, ongoing development of the project was cancelled in 2011. The current solution is built on top of three proprietary software solutions. The proprietary vendors have locked-in the government, the MPs explain in a statement on the groups website. "The government was forced to renew the licences, blocking alternative solutions and solution providers."

Share the code

"There is a better strategy", the MPs write. They want to launch a new request for tender for the GEVER software, demanding that the source code is made publicly available and can be modified and re-used by others. They're asking for a licence that allows access to others, and makes possible to develop the solution together with other public administrations. "This ensures no new lock-in by individual companies, instead it will foster a growing community of public agencies and private enterprises."

More information:

Statement on the motion by the Swiss Parliamentary Group on Digital Sustainability (in German)

Open source GEVER workshop by the Swiss Parliamentary Group on Digital Sustainability (in German)