EU Public Sector Contracts and Open Source: What Agencies Learned from Agiledrop’s Webinar

Moderated by Aleš Kohek, the panel brought together Sachiko Muto, Chair of Open Forum Europe and Board Member at the Drupal Association, and Stefan Morcov, CEO of Hermix. The discussion followed recent EU Open Source Week activities in Brussels and the Drupal4Gov conference, where digital sovereignty emerged as a defining policy priority.

Muto argued that the current policy climate differs from earlier open-source mandates, which were driven primarily by cost savings. Ongoing revisions to EU procurement directives, new cloud sovereignty frameworks, and an upcoming EU-wide open source strategy signal a deeper political shift. Rather than focusing solely on licensing models, institutions are increasingly emphasising control over digital assets, ecosystem resilience, local value creation, and reduced dependency on proprietary vendors.

Morcov provided market intelligence illustrating the scale of opportunity. According to Hermix data, billions of euros are awarded annually under EU- and national-level IT service contracts. However, identifying relevant tenders remains complex. Technologies such as Drupal are not always explicitly named in procurement notices, often appearing only in technical annexes or inferred from legacy system requirements. This makes systematic monitoring and analysis essential for agencies seeking to compete effectively.

The panel also addressed structural barriers facing smaller firms. While EU guidelines encourage SME participation, large framework contracts and high turnover requirements often favour established multinational consultancies. Speakers emphasised consortium-building and strategic partnerships as practical pathways for specialised agencies. Rather than competing head-to-head with incumbents, smaller firms can position themselves as expert open source contributors within broader delivery alliances.

A recurring theme was that digital sovereignty is moving from political rhetoric to operational criteria. References to open source, sovereign infrastructure, and ecosystem sustainability are increasingly embedded in procurement language. For Drupal agencies, the takeaway was clear: understanding policy direction, procurement mechanics, and partnership strategy is becoming as important as technical capability.

For further analysis on how and when specific brands or technologies may be referenced in public tender specifications, Hermix has published a detailed explainer:
https://hermix.com/when-can-specific-brands-and-technologies-be-mentioned-in-public-tender-specifications/

A recording of the session is available via YouTube: Watch the webinar.