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RFPs And Open Source Projects?
An Anonymous Coward writes: "My company is currently sending out RFPs to various real-time collaboration software vendors. One of the packages we would like to persue is Jabber (the open-source IM/chat software at www.jabber.org). However, for open source projects, where should the RFP be sent? For Jabber, we may use Jabber.com as our reference. But, as my company possibly pursues other open source alternatives, how do we answer this question?"
Well there are two cases to consider.
1) Jabber does all of what you need. In that case just use it.
2) Jabber would need to be modified in some way to meet the needs of the project. In this case you probably want to have someone (Or several someones) working on these improvements full time and one should assume that one way or another you will have to pay them. If you want the Jabber crew to do it Send the RFP to the jabber developer's mailing list. If someone is interested then they will respond. Or just hire a few people to do the work in house. Of course you could just wait and hope that the folks working on jabber add the things you need. But I would recomend proactivly attempting to get them in there by paying somone to write (and *TEST*) the code.
Erlang Developer and podcaster
Maybe you've finally landed on the way that people developing open source projects can be paid. Send an RFP to the group that put the code together and assuming that they'll customize it a bit for you, they could finally make money on the code. This is particularly true for packages that don't have as much commercial power behind them (i.e., when there isn't a project-name.com for them).
I thought others would appreciate a definition, so they wouldn't have to look it up, like I just did.
Taken from Everything2.com:
This is a copy/paste; all typos are property of the author.
It's probably not the best definition, but it answered all I wanted to know.
-Grant/JimTheta
My stupid web site
Identify the leader, contact him or her and ask about the request you have in mind. Get permission to post it to the dev list and see if you get any takers. There are usually a couple people looking for contract programming work sitting on the dev list who are familiar with the project. You will want to give preference to those who actually contribute to the code base since they have demonstrated some understanding of the present code.
Don't contract with open source projects in general since there is no concrete entity to hold accountable for the work. However, it would make perfect sense to contract with an individual contributor to enhance/deploy the project according to your specifications.
I appreciate your business and computing problem, and I hope it's solved.. but let's look at the implications of there being nobody to send an RFP to for a minute.
Absolute anonymity online doesn't currently exist; not for registering a domain and not for a computer program.
I have read science fiction novels in which there are technologies that nobody remembers the origins of.. nobody knows who's responsible for it.
The implications of open source programs without any responsible author base or group of authors would be interesting.
Like a virus, the program would be propagated everywhere, branching and forking all the time as people modified it without releasing code back to an original developer group.
Like a virus, the program may also evolve more quickly.. adapting to new situations, without the tight control of a politically powerful developer core.
Goat sex free since 2001
http://itworld.newmediary.com/. They've got a fairly extensive list of RFPs and let you post yours for free, and I know a couple open-source developers who've had success with them in the past.
But I do have to wonder why you're bothering with RFPs at all: the beauty of open source is that you aren't beholden to an autocratic developer. You can just grab the source, hand it to a competent individual inside your company, give him/her a few weeks to get up to snuff, and roll it from there.
Given that, it's sad that open source and RFPs haven't mixed much in the past. Even sadder now that lots of companies that hoped to cash in on open-source development are running out of venture capital. If open source is ever going to achieve the level of market penetration that its proponents hope, we're going to have to start thinking about these little things a bit more.
There are really two places you can find people to respond to your RFP. The first is the appropriate developers mailing list. Most open source projects have one. Don't send the whole RFP, just say that your company is interested in funding some work on the project and point them at the RFP. This will hit a broad audience of people who know the package.
The second choice would be the consulting/professional services groups at most of the Linux companies. They have skilled developers who know a lot about Linux and Open Source and can contribute to a variety of problems. Chances are they'll see the mail to the developers list as well, but it doesn't hurt and pretty much insures you'll get a response.
Finally, you can and should ask that whoever does the work do it as open development and release it as open source. You can benefit the projects and get the pieces you want. That's they way most of our graphics drivers were developed.
You probably ought to send the RFP to some consulting/professional services firms who specialize in OSS.
There are some cases where the developers are the guys to go to, such as PHPGroupWare, but they are the exception. (I don't happen to know about Jabber, but the odds are they don't have the professoinal structure to properly respond to an RFP.)
-Peter
An RFP stands for Request For Proposals and are sent out when a company wants other companies to complete something for it. (It's a request for proposals to complete a certain task - also known as a Request for Contracts.)
As a general reference to Open Source packages, I'd either send RFCs out to a company that deals with them (ie, RedHat is known to do work with several open source packages, so for an RFP involving a piece of software they package, they would be a good choice to receive an RFP).
In the case of Open Source projects that happen not to have a company involved with them, you could try and look for general purpose contractors, I suppose, or you could look into doing the work internally. You might also look into general software contracters.
It may also be possible to contract with the people working directly on the OSS project, so you should definately try and contact people on the project list (if to be polite, for no other reason) but be aware that most OSS developers are either A) already employed, or B) students. (The "project list" in this case is either a developer list if the documentation included with the source distribution includes such information or the list of people in the AUTHORS file that many Open Source projects include - assuming it's up-to-date.) In either case, it's highly probable that the active maintainers will not be able to send back a useful proposal, and your best bet is looking for outside contracters.
(This of course could open up an interesting buisness plan - a software house that specializes in creating contracts to do work on Open Source software...)
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
I'm wondering if the submitter has ever filled out an RFP. Unless it is miraculously tight and succinct, filling out an RFP is one of the most boring, frustrating and inane activities imaginable. The usual RFP has gone through all the departments of a company, which each department adding in their own 2 cents. That usually entails adding poorly worded and contradictory questions that are impossible to answer. Of course, the real gems come from the marketing department, which lists "requirements" along the lines of, "program must be able to think for me, and anticipate what I will want the next day, week, and year."
Bottom line, if you want someone to fill out a typical RFP for free (e.g., open source developer), you are dreaming. If you really want it done, either do it yourself, or hire a consultant to do it.
On the other hand, if you want a shot at something being done by the developers or general users, make a mini-RFP of no more than 10 questions, and see if you can get those answered.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
It would probably be a complete waste of time to contact an employment agency and ask for someone who knows how to modify and enhance "Jabber".
Asking on the Jabber developers mailing list, though, would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
http://www.jabber.com/about/contact.shtml
info@jabber.com
"You can't get something for nothing." - my grandfather, on the stock market and Reaganomics.
I'd say to find a consulting company that works with the open source program your interested in. If possible, start by finding out if any of the developers on the project do consulting. If not, see if they can recommend someone.
SourceXchange was great until it went dark. We got some great proposals to some Jabber open source development RFPs there. Collab.net has picked up the slack so that's an option too.
In general, I'd recommend trying to find the associated developer email lists for open source projects (or, of course, the Jabber conference rooms if they have them!) and post there. Can't think that would upset people.
For Jabber, send your RFP to the JDEV email list. Go to http://mailman.jabber.org/listinfo/jdev for info.
. I've actually managed a number of Jabber open source projects so talk to me too! (bauer@michaelbauer.com)
10 January 1610
www.elance.com
Dunno if its still around, but at the last place I worked (a software development house), we farmed out more than a couple things to people we found on elance. I never had to deal with the account, so I don't know if we ever had to pay for it or anything, but if your project is important enough, that won't matter anyway. Either way, check it out...
Perl - $Just @when->$you ${thought} s/yn/tax/ &couldn\'t %get $worse;
Jabber, Inc. (jabber.com) is certainly an obvious choice. Keep in mind that the RFP will include what you need, not the technology. Any company that works with (supporting) Jabber is a good choice.
Anyone can take the Jabber source, modify it (if needed), and install it for you. While Slashdot would probably like you to go to the authors, in looking for your corporate bottom line, you should contact ALL companies that work with Jabber.
Sure the source is "free", but who cares?
What matters in this case isn't the license (though the GPL may make the Jabber-based bids more pleasant), its the result.
Each company should submit you a proposal with a description of how they will meet your needs and a price.
All the companies that submit with Jabber have an advantage, they don't need to support the full infrastructure of development, just their portion. The Jabber, Inc. people should be able to bid competitively, given that they already have a sales and support network in place for selling Jabber.
Good luck, and thank you for considering open source solutions in your RFP process.
Alex
It makes no sense for an "open source project" to respond to an RFP. It is the nature of Open Source Licenses PRECISELY TO DISCLAIM that the software does anything or is suitable for any purpose. Most OSS projects are a decentralized group, or a deepcore+fuzzypenumbra of individuals, who do not have authority to act for or on behalf of one another.
In short, the commercial relationship sought by forwarding an RFP to a "project" or with respect to a particular OSS codeset is improbable, at best, and most likely incoherent.
On the other hand, there is a great opportunity for a forward-looking company. Perhaps you might direct your RFPs not to software vendors per se, but to application integrators and consultants, making clear that you intend to buy on total cost of ownership, and that you would like the proposal to be based both upon proprietary and open source solutions.
Now, you are hitting where it hurts for the benefit of the company. The application integrator who is used to taking a commission on the software is now going to bid for a value-added combination of the free software plus integration and consulting fees, and is going to seek to make a buck in that matter.
I would expect that the consulting costs would be valued at a premium over traditional value-add deals, since they include providing services (support and maintenance) that are ordinarily provided by a software vendor, and my be asked to "stand behind" the software with a committment to repair bugs and the like. But there is a buck to be made there, and a lot of flex, since the software licensing cost for the RFP is out of the picture.
His risk in not bidding the OSS solution is that a competitor will do so, and outdo him by a fair amount. If such RFP's were prepared and built in a practical manner, and responses for OSS software seriously considered, the premiums between consultants would diminish over time due to competition (or vary based upon reputation).
This is a business model that could be exciting.
But a straight-up response to a traditional commercial RFP? That's silly. Also, read your RFP language -- most standard forms require commitments of a vendor that NO Open Source software can provide, as to warranties, indemnities and so forth. Remember, you not only need to get the beans to count, you also need to please legal.
There are probably plenty of excellent consulting companies that are qualified to be in charge of making it happen with Jabber.
Miko O'Sullivan
You basically have two choices with respect to adapting open-source software for your purposes:
(1) Take a good look at the credits and people behind an open-source project. Pick out those whom you think are the most involved. Send them RFPs.
(2) Hire programmers, or a consulting company, to modify the source for you. It is OPEN, after all. While people you hire may not be as knowledgable about that project as those who are actively involved in building it, if they're good, they should be able to parse the source and go from there. There is an added benefit in that, if you're only using the software in-house, you'd be able to keep some enhancements proprietary and have an edge over your competitors.
If you're talking about spawning an entirely new open-source project, then it's no different from starting any programming project -- except you'd release the source code, and have some channel where people can send bug reports and patch suggestions.
Send an email to the author, and if there is a mailing list associated with the project then send one to the mailing list. That is usually the best place to get the information that you want.
Only 'flamers' flame!
When compiling an RFP, not only are you usually looking for a product, but support of that product. For example, companies don't just buy SUN servers, they buy the support that goes with them (which is very nice, but off topic :). Unless you are looking simply to buy the product and, under normal business cases, let the vendor cut you loose, you're going to need to find a company that can offer you the support for your product.
For example, you could contact NuSphere for MySQL, ISC for Sendmail, and so forth.
Not also, that in doing so, you will not necessarily get comparable quotes unless you specify in the RFP that SUPPORT COSTS are to be included in the quotes. In the case of SUN above - the support contracts, while good, are not included with the system. Make sure your commercial vendors include figures for support equivalent to what you would get with the Open Source company supporting their product.
You may have to take the support policies from the OS Company, and then import them into your RFP to come up with reasonable figures. Be careful about this though, as some vendors may recognize your source, and claim you're already biased toward one of the people you're sending the RFP to.
This space for rent. Call 1-800-STEAK4U
Open source is the perfect advertising tool (It got Linus a job)....and people are always looking to make money --- I would think that any one of the core developers for any project would be willing to provide bids against a RFP...hell it would be a great way to make cash against something that you were doing for free. (* Kind of like a high tech portfolio ). Would not the README, and other txt files in a package have enough contact info to send a company in the right direction?...and if not, then it would not be a very good portfolio.
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
(Or you could send your RFP to me. I'm not kidding.)
Eric
Be who you are...and be it in style!
When SourceXchange was active we got over 30 responses to our RFP. We awarded the contract to a professional developer with some open source experience. The work was exceptional - done on time, in-budget and at the highest quality. We released the code as open source with the expectation that open source developers would take over maintenance. The code wasn't really taken up by the community nor was it really strategic to the company so the code wasn't really extended very far. Everyone seemed to be pretty happy - and the open source code base was extended.
After that we did a number of smaller projects that were taken on successfully by "pure" open source developers. At last check, the open source developers were getting paid to develop open source code. The company was getting the software it wanted. Again, everybody seemed to be pretty happy about the arrangement.
So I guess the upshot is that open source developers and rfps do mix. It just depends on the kind of RFP and the developers themselves to determine just how well they mix.
10 January 1610
Yes, that is a very interesting business plan. Hmmm. Imagine a company composed of developers experienced with open-source projects. Other companies, instead of buying closed-source products, pay this company to assign a developer to fix up an existing open-source project to meet their specifications. This way, companies can get the benefits of open source without doing everything themselves and they get someone to blame if something goes wrong, the open source community gets improved programs, and there is finally a workable open-source business plan!
main(c,r){for(r=32;r;) printf(++c>31?c=!r--,"\n":c<r?" ":~c&r?" `":" #");}
Slashdot readers:
- "RFP? What's that?"
- "Deadline? What's that?"
- "Accountability? What's that?"
Business software consumer:Well... that or to a consulting vendor who sells support for the Open Source ackage if youa re convinced they can do the job and will be in business as long as you need the support.
This is the basis of Open Source software-- there IS no software vendor so either you support it yourself or pay a third parrty to do that support.