Microsoft « Open Bar » Contract - April Writes to the French Government and Parliament

On 5 February 2013, PCINpact revealed an ongoing renegotiation around Microsoft's "Open Bar" offer to the French Ministry of Defence. The initial contract had been concluded in 2009 without any call for tender, and had departed from public-procurement principles. On 6 February 2013, April published a press release asking for a stay of this renegotiation and for transparency around this affair.

On 12 February 2013, April sent a request for the publication of the administrative documents relating to the Ministry of Defence and to Public Procurement's Consultative Commission. 1

April has also written to the Prime Minister, to the Minister of Defence, to Members of Parliament, and to the Senators who are members of commissions on matters of Defence, to inform them about this dossier and to ask for a stay of negotiations and for transparency around this issue.

• 1. Law n°78-753, dated 17 July 1978, recognizes any person's right to access the documents an administration has that are relative to its public-service mission, whatever physical form these documents might take. For more information, see the CADA (Commission for Access to Administrative Documents) Web site.