Google Sues Feds, Alleges Anti-Competitive Bid Specs for E-Mail Contract Proposal
Google Inc. has turned the tables on the feds, alleging that the U.S. Department of the Interior has illegally restricted competition among potential bidders for an e-mail contract by requiring that the system had to be included in the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite
The specifications are “unduly restrictive of competition” and violate the Competition in Contracting Act, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. It contends that the specs unfairly favor the Microsoft suite over Google Apps, and it seeks a court order to prevent the bidding from proceeding until the problem is corrected, the Wall Street Journal reported
The contract is worth an estimated $59 million over five years. It involves replacing the department’s current 13 e-mail systems for some 88,000 users with one collaborative Internet-based solution.
Todd Bishop’s Microsoft Blog links to a copy of the complaint (PDF).
