Open Source Becomes the Standard:

Why the EVB-IT Reform is a Turning Point for Government IT

Public IT procurement in Germany has long been characterized by a structural contradiction. Politically, digital sovereignty was demanded, but in practice, proprietary solutions were preferred. Not out of conviction, but due to legal uncertainty.

With the reform of the EVB-IT model contracts, this contradiction is resolved. Open Source is no longer an exception for new software but the standard. This fundamentally shifts the logic of government IT.

An Overdue System Change

Until now, the EVB-IT was effectively geared towards proprietary software. Open Source providers had to adapt contracts, compensate for risks, or were excluded from tenders altogether. The result was an artificially restricted market.

The new contract templates provide legal certainty for the first time. Authorities can deliberately choose Open Source without additional hurdles. Providers compete on equal terms. This is not a technical, but a market-political correction.

OpenCoDE: Infrastructure for Government Collaboration

With the mandatory publication on OpenCoDE, a central mechanism for reuse is created. Software is no longer developed in isolation but understood as a shared asset.

This has direct effects: Developments become reusable. Duplication of work is reduced. Knowledge remains within the administration and does not leave with individual service providers.

OpenCoDE is thus more than a repository. It is the foundation for a collaborative administration that systematically shares and further develops software.

Security Becomes Verifiable

A key advancement is the mandatory Software Bill of Materials (SBOM). Every component used is documented. Dependencies become visible.

This shifts the security logic: Risks are no longer assumed but identified. Vulnerabilities can be assigned and resolved more quickly. Black-box software loses its structural advantage.

Why Open Source is Structurally Superior

The EVB-IT reform highlights what has long been technically valid: Open Source is not an ideological model but a superior operational model for critical infrastructure.

These differences are not theoretical. They directly determine how efficiently, securely, and independently government IT can be operated.

Economic Effects Are Already Visible

The example of Schleswig-Holstein shows that Open Source is also financially convincing. Savings in the double-digit millions are the result of a clear strategic decision.

The decisive factor is not only the elimination of licensing costs. The greater effect arises from reuse, reduced dependencies, and better negotiating positions with service providers.

European Dimension: Sovereignty Through Procurement

The reform is also relevant from an industrial policy perspective. Public procurement is a central lever for market structures. Those who set standards define markets.

Open Source strengthens European providers because it enables market access and reduces dependencies. It shifts value creation back to the European area.

The EVB-IT thus implements a principle already formulated at the EU level: “Public Money, Public Code.” Public investments create publicly usable results.

What Follows Now

The direction is clear, but not complete. Central areas such as cloud and platform services are not yet fully integrated. It is precisely there that the greatest dependencies currently lie.

If the logic of the EVB-IT is consistently continued, a procurement model will emerge that operationalizes digital sovereignty—not as a strategy paper, but as a standard process.

Conclusion

The EVB-IT reform is not a detail of administration. It is a structural intervention in the functioning of government IT.

Open Source moves from being an exception to the standard. Transparency becomes mandatory. Reuse becomes systematic. Competition becomes real.

This creates a framework for the first time in which public IT not only functions but has a strategic impact.

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