The State body in charge of procurement for local authorities is considering switching from Microsoft to open-source software.

The Local Government Computer Services Board confirmed yesterday it would evaluate open-source alternatives, such as the Linux operating system, as part of a tender to be issued shortly.

This tender will be one of the first big public sector contracts that will fully evaluate whether shifting from Microsoft operating system software could save millions of euro for the State.

The previous three-year software contract, which was awarded to a Microsoft distributer, for all 34 local authorities was worth more than €5 million.

Ms Bríd Carter, director of the Local Government Computer Services Board, said the agency was taking a step back and doing a critical analysis on the direction that it was going.

"One of the significant decisions that we have to make is whether we go for Microsoft or open-source software. We are looking for the best value for money over at least a five-year period... This is an opportunity for open-source suppliers."

The Local Government Computer Services Board has already published a notice alerting suppliers that a tender was being issued for the supply of operating system, server and productivity software for 15,000 computers.

Ms Carter said the full tender would be published shortly and that the agency wanted to complete the procurement process by the autumn.

Several public bodies across Europe have already chosen to switch from Microsoft software to open-source alternatives. Last year, the German city of Munich said that it would migrate from Microsoft to Linux, an open-source alternative.

Linux is an operating system, originally written by Norwegian programmer Mr Linus Torvalds, which has become a basis for the free-software movement. Its source code can be downloaded free of charge and tens of thousands of programmers worldwide add new code via the internet.

Firms and public organisations are increasingly using open-source software as a base on which to run their IT systems rather than choosing proprietary alternatives such as Microsoft.

However, shifting from Microsoft presents problems as staff can struggle to get used to new software and deploying completely new systems is expensive.

The city of Turku in Finland last year rejected a recommendation to shift to open source after running a trial.

Ms Carter said the evaluation carried out by the Local Government Computer Services Board would take into account the cost of training and other issues. Any decision to migrate from Microsoft may also have to be delivered via a migration strategy over a certain period, she added.

In the Republic, there has only been a limited uptake of open-source alternatives to Microsoft. The most prominent example is Beaumont Hospital's decision to install StarOffice, a competitor to Microsoft's productivity suite, Microsoft Office.