Here is some big news (a couple days late)! United Kingdom Cabinet Office Minister (for digital engagement) and Member of Parliament Tom Watson, in a statement released a day or so ago, said the British government will accelerate the use of open source software in its public services. The government will now place open source software on a level playing field with proprietary software such as Windows, and they’ll adopt open source software "when it delivers best value for money." This is timely as the the Obama Administration begins to figure out how to use technology to reboot our government.

Whenever possible, the government has decided to avoid proprietary software for public services. The government will require its agencies to adopt open source software when "there is no significant overall cost difference between open and non-open source products" because of its "inherent flexibility." In a report on the announcement, the BBC quotes open source advocates as saying the shift from proprietary standards could save the government up to £600 million a year.

Watson said that the government had been experimenting with open source for the past five years, and that they’ve found that it can be best for taxpayers by providing better public services. Watson adds that they need to increase the pace of the open source approach:

1. We want to ensure that we continue to use the best possible solutions for public services at the best value for money; and that we pay a fair price for what we have to buy. 2. We want to share and re-use what the taxpayer has already purchased across the public sector – not just to avoid paying twice, but to reduce risks and to drive common, joined up solutions to the common needs of government. 3. We want to encourage innovation and innovators - inside Government by encouraging open source thinking, and outside Government by helping to develop a vibrant market. 4. We want to give leadership to the IT industry and to the wider economy to benefit from the information we generate and the software we develop in Government.

The BBC report quotes an open source support vendor as saying that the U.K. government's action plan “had ‘more teeth’ than policies being adopted in other countries because the plan was tied into policies regarding how IT managers procure new software.” Charles Arthur, writing at the guardian.co.uk’s Technology Blog, makes a somewhat cynical yet likely apt observation. “Not that this means that all those Windows boxen are going to be ending up on a scrapheap any time tomorrow, though you can bet Microsoft's salespeople to UK government will be on their phones right now talking to key people.”

Yesterday, I blogged about WriteToReply.org, a brand new site built by two smart and enterprising fellows to research online and comment publicly on a new report released by the U.K. government’s Ministry of Communications, Technology and Broadcasting on what the government should to enhance digital capacity and enterprise in the UK. The agency came under criticism for not including a means for citizens to comment and make suggestions online. Thus, earlier this week, WriteToReplay.org site was born and went live.

Another important Internet-related report in the U.K. has emerged, the Power of Information Task Force Report. And the principals of this report have taken a very different approach than the Ministry of Communications, they’ve placed it online and are asking interested citizens to read and comment on it.

Last March, U.K. Cabinet Office Minister and Member of Parliament Tom Watson established the Power of Information Task Force to advise and assist the government on how it can better serve its citizens through information technology and digital media. And from the beginning, they were mandated to operate in an open and transparent manner using modern media. The process all started back in 2007 when the government asked Ed Mayo, CEO of Britain’s Consumer Focus, and Tom Steinberg, founder of MySociety.org and Sunlight friend, to investigate the growing popularity of social media and what implications it has for government. Mayo and Steinberg produced a report, which profiled the social and economic benefits of government using its information better. Watson commissioned the task force to advise and assist the government on delivering the benefits outlined in the Mayo/Steinberg review. And he asked them to answer these three questions: How can government further catalyze more beneficial creation and sharing of knowledge, and mutual support, between citizens? What more can and should be done to improve the way government and its agencies publish and share non-personal information? Are there any further notable information opportunities or shortfalls in sectors outside government that those sectors could work to rectify?’ Earlier today, Michael Cross, a technology write at The Guardian, profiled the task force and the 25 actions the report advises government to take. Included in the suggestions are government’s embrace of social networking, blogging and other Web 2.0 tools. “Top of the list is a relaxation about civil servants accessing - gasp - social media at work,” Cross writes. He notes that today, 90% of departments either ban browsing entirely or place restrictions on staff wanting to use social media or other Web-based tools. He quotes the report, "Public sector workers cannot be expected to be up to date with the power of information to transform public services if they cannot access the Internet at work." Last year, as many of our blog readers know, Sunlight sponsored the “Let Our Congress Tweet” campaign, where we helped convince Congress to change it’s antiquated rules on Internet use, allowing lawmakers to fully embrace communication technologies. Minister Watson and his task force are acting in a similar spirit.

Leena Rao at TechCrunch reports on how Directgov.com, the British government’s online portal providing information and services from across government, is asking developers to help them think of ways to make the site more innovative, responsive and open to input from citizens.

Yesterday they had such an opportunity. Much of the U.K. was hit by a rare major snowstorm, crippling pretty much evertyhing. U.K. Cabinet Office Minister and Member of Parliament Tom Watson reports that, as a parent, the only thing on his mind Monday at 7:30 a.m. was whether his son’s nursery school was open or closed. So he purchased a domain name (SchoolClosures.org) and then twittered a challenge to the folks at Directgov.com, “Fancy rising to the challenge for tomorrow morning?” They quickly built SchoolClosures.org, a working prototype of an online service to provide an open and easy way to report the status of local schools. “It is an amazing thing,” Tom wrote on his blog, “not just the tool but the way in which they have turned things around in about 28 hours.” Tom hopes that Web users will recognize that this is a massive change in approach for Directgov. “Well done to them,” he adds. Well done indeed.

In TechCrunch Rao writes how the Obama Administration prides itself on online community engagement, and suggests they should take a page out of the UK’s digital playbook. “Perhaps the next step is to be specific and more goal-oriented about open-source initiatives, as Directgov seems to be,” Rao adds.

Back in July, I wrote about Show Us a Better Way, a contest set up by the United Kingdom's Power of Information Task Force, that asks citizens to identify what they would like to see done with public information. If they like the idea they will help fund it, to the tune of £20,000 to develop the idea to the next level. Here are some examples of ideas they are looking for. The deadline for the submission of ideas ended on September 30^th, and they will announce the winners imminently. By the way, Sunlight friend, U.K. Cabinet Office Minister and Member of Parliament Tom Watson was a leading visionary behind the Power of Information Task Force.

David Stephenson, in a post on the Open House Project's Google group, compared favorably Show Us a Better Way to the Citywide Data Warehouse (CityDW) here in the District of Columbia. CityDW provides a centralized access point for online data about the District's government operations. It focuses on providing real-time data from multiple agencies and sources, all in an effort at greater transparency. David wrote, "The DC project is, to my knowledge, the first US one to copy the incredibly creative UK "Show Us a Better Way" contest (the humility of the title alone speaks volumes!)." David also gave CityDW some love in his speech at this summer's Netroots Nation.

As a longtime DC resident, it's shocking to see any aspect of the District's government receive any praise. That alone shows the transformative powers of online tools.