According to this article (in danish): Webekspert: Hul i hovedet at bruge 100 mio. om året på kommunale hjemmesider | Version2, Danish municipalities  uses more than 100 mill. danish krones ( around 17 mill. US dollars) a year on their websites. In Denmark, we have 98 municipalities, so it’s pretty easy to figure out that each one uses more than $ 170.000,- a year on their website.

It corresponds very well with the common perception that if you ever want to make a lot of money, you just need to have the government or the municipalities as a client. The decisionmakers really have no idea on what things actually should costs. It really is no wonder that the taxes in this country are way above 50%.

This site, http://www.emu.dk/gsk/paa_tvaers_af_fag/skoleudvikling/godt_du_kom/index.html, used to be a campaignsite for keeping kids in school. It priced around one million danish kroners, ( around $ 170.000,-) last year. It was based heavily on flash and I’m betting that because of the fact that kids couldn’t access it on their iPhones and iPads, made the people behind the site, discontinue the campaign and implement “godtdukom.dk” into the sorry state it is in now.

I’m pretty sure that I know a few guys and gals at work, that could have programmed the exact same site for alot less (read: below 50%), using WordPress or Tangora CMS. I know Tangora isen’t Open Source, but using Open Source for various parts of the governmental IT-infrastructure shouldn’t be an option. It should be passed by law. It’s the taxpayers money and when it comes to IT, the taxpayers really pays double – and sometimes quadruple – of what the same solution could have been made for, using serious consultants and implementing Open Source at the right places.

Don’t get me wrong. Open Source isen’t for everywhere and everybody. Lots of thing will not be replaced by Open Source any time soon. But the Houses, that systematic overcharges and overprices the taxpayers, should be judged, Dirty Harry style!

What do you think? What should the price for a simple Campaignsite for keeping kids in school be?