Enhancing Adoption of Open Standards (NL0055)

Brief Description of the Commitment

Forum Standardization assesses (semi-)annually the implementation of the open standards listed under the “comply or explain” policy, which are mandatory for most government organizations. This reveals that there is still much room for improvement. However, the assessments do have a positive effect on the adoption of open standards.

Problem Definition

1. What problem does the commitment aim to address? • The issue that the commitment focuses on is the lagging adoption of open standards by government organizations. This has implications for the quality of ICT in government organizations and, therefore, for the reliability, security, and overall functioning of public services. • The application of open standards is an essential part of utilizing open technology, which is necessary to address the diverse challenges of our time. The application of open standards is a crucial prerequisite for improving public ICT, making it more efficient, secure, and transparent. Without the application of open standards, there would be no smooth data exchange over the internet, no counterbalance to big tech, no secure and reliable internet, no accessible government information, no open data, and no open source. • This makes the application of open standards in the design of government ICT an important prerequisite for achieving many objectives of the open government program, such as inclusion, anti-corruption and integrity, digital governance, civic space, justice, open parliaments, better environment, climate, and health. • For more information on the value of open standards for digitalization within the government, refer to the document on value-driven digitalization and open standards, available on the website of Forum Standardization, where you can also find all other meeting documents of the Forum Standardization. This document provides a high-level overview of how the open standards listed in the “comply or explain” policy contribute to the societal objectives mentioned above.

2. What are the causes of the problem? • Forum Standardization regularly conducts research on why government organizations do not apply open standards, despite the fact that these standards have been mandatory for them since 2008. Roughly, the causes can be divided into three categories: lack of awareness, lack of capability, and lack of willingness. - Lack of awareness: Particularly when it comes to the moment of acquiring new ICT systems, those involved often indicate that they are not aware of or do not know exactly what the open standards policy entails. Additionally, the underlying value of applying open standards is still unknown to many people. Open standards are often confused with open source. - Lack of capability: The responsibility for complying with the policy is often not well assigned within organizations. Furthermore, people often do not know which open standards are applicable in a specific situation or how to apply them. - Lack of willingness: The application of open standards competes with other desires and interests. The benefits do not always align with the burdens. While applying open standards is beneficial for public service delivery as a whole, voluntary adoption in practice can be too demanding for individual organizations. • For a more nuanced answer to this question, please refer to the latest major research on the causes behind the lagging adoption conducted by PBLQ on November 10, 2020.

Commitment Description

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem? • The current “comply or explain” policy regarding open standards in the Netherlands was initiated with the Vendrik motion in 2002 and further shaped with the establishment of Forum Standardization in 2006. Since then, several positive changes have occurred. Awareness regarding the usefulness and necessity of open standards has increased, and adoption has grown. In 2022, discussions with most administrators of government-wide facilities focus more on the how and when of implementation rather than on the importance of open standards in general. • At the same time, it is evident that open standards are still not universally and consistently applied, and there are various obstacles hindering further adoption.

2. What solution are you proposing? • Forum Standardization recognizes that achieving the application of all relevant open standards by government organizations is a long-term goal that requires persistence. People are easily convinced of their importance, but the practical implementation can be challenging. Ofen, there are other more pressing matters that demand attention. • Regularly measuring the use of open standards has its limitations but has proven to be a useful tool over time to keep the topic on the agenda and engage in ongoing discussions with stakeholders. Therefore, measuring the application of open standards is listed as a concrete commitment. More information about past measurements can be found on Forum Standardization’s website under “Metingen en monitor” (Measurements and Monitoring). • Additionally, there is a plan to organize an event on openness in collaboration with civil servants from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations who are involved in open source, open data, open government, and open procurement topics. This idea has also been discussed with Open State. There seems to be broad support for it, but Forum Standardization still needs to make a decision on this. • More information about Forum Standardization’s other activities can be found in the work plan: “Werkplan Forum Standaardisatie 2023” (Work Plan Forum for Standardization 2023) on Forum Standardization’s website.

3. What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment? • Increasing awareness, convincing stakeholders about the importance of applying open standards, fostering more willingness to take action, and ensuring stronger governance support.

Commitment Analysis

1. How will the commitment promote transparency? This commitment promotes transparency in various ways: • By increasing the use of open standards in general, there is greater transparency regarding the setup of government ICT. The documentation of open standards is freely accessible and reusable, creating a level playing field for companies to compete and innovate based on these standards. The theme of digital sovereignty is also intertwined with increased vendor independence. • Through the increased application of specific standards listed in the “comply or explain” policy, particularly those related to accessibility and data quality, government data becomes more reliable, discoverable, and reusable. Examples include standards for the identification of laws and regulations, geospatial information, and water quality. • However, access to government data and information also heavily relies on the reliability, confidentiality, and security of the connection. Standards related to these aspects are also included in the “comply or explain” list.

2. How will the commitment help foster accountability? Both the annual Open Standards Monitor (Monitor Open Standaarden) and the semi-annual measurements of the Information Security Standards are published on the website of Forum Standardization and regularly sent to the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer). These measurements stimulate accountability for complying with the “comply or explain” policy. Hopefully, these efforts also lead to improvements in the accountability reports of government organizations, encouraging them to provide more comprehensive information in their annual reports.

3. How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions? The standards are open: stakeholders can participate in their development, as well as their ongoing evolution and management. When it comes to including standards on the “comply or explain” list, Forum Standardization follows an open assessment procedure that involves an open consultation round. In the implementation of the Open Standards Monitor, the parties under investigation are approached, and discussions take place. Additionally, all meeting documents of Forum Standardization are publicly available.

Commitment Planning (Milestones | Expected Outputs | Expected Completion Date)

Four reports of the Open Standards Monitor: 2023 to 2026 Eight IV measurements (at the beginning and middle of the year) 2023 to 2026 | Increase in the adoption of open standards and more accountability in annual reports or otherwise | March 2023 to 2027 June and November 2023 to 2027

Action Plan Review

Commitment 4. Open standards