It's not too difficult to compute the cost of a contract; i.e., labor, product licensing, etc. But, there's not a whole lot of data (or models) on how using or producing open source affect the value proposition. We have some empirical and informal data from experience that suggests organizations can be more efficient and nimble using open source, but we should be able to quantify that notion.
What metrics are important? Total cost of ownership (TCO)? General procurement costs?
It's not too difficult to compute the cost of a contract; i.e., labor, product licensing, etc. But, there's not a whole lot of data (or models) on how using or producing open source affect the value proposition. We have some empirical and informal data from experience that suggests organizations can be more efficient and nimble using open source, but we should be able to quantify that notion.
What metrics are important? Total cost of ownership (TCO)? General procurement costs?