News

Google Sues Feds Over Cloud Contract that Requires Microsoft BPOS

Google is suing the Interior Department for allegedly excluding Google's products in a request for quotation the agency issued on Aug. 30. The RFQ, for hosted e-mail and collaboration services, specifies that the proposed solutions must be part of the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite.

According to the court filing, Google officials had met with the Interior department several times, and pursued discussions in correspondence, in an effort to convince the department that Google's applications were capable of handling Interior's needs, and that they should also be considered as a possible solution.

Read the court filing here.

Ultimately, however, Interior limited its scope to Microsft with the requisite Limited Sourcing Justification document, telling Google officials that Microsoft offered unified/consolidated e-mail and better security than Google Apps.

Onix Networking Corp., a cloud reseller, is a co-plaintiff in the suit, filed Oct. 29 in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

According to a report on the blog techdirt, the Government Accountability Office dismissed Google's protest against the RFQ on the grounds that Google is not an "interested party" because it does not have a General Services Administration schedules contract.

According to InformationWeek, Google unsuccessfully made a similar claim in October when California's state government awarded a hosted e-mail contract to Microsoft.

About the Author

Michael Hardy is the managing editor/daily report for the 1105 Government Information Group.

Featured

  • Microsoft Offers Support Extensions for Exchange 2016 and 2019

    Microsoft has introduced a paid Extended Security Update (ESU) program for on-premises Exchange Server 2016 and 2019, offering a crucial safety cushion as both versions near their Oct. 14, 2025 end-of-support date.

  • An image of planes flying around a globe

    2025 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

    Here's your guide to all the IT training sessions, partner meet-ups and annual Microsoft conferences you won't want to miss.

  • Notebook

    Microsoft Centers AI, Security and Partner Dogfooding at MCAPS

    Microsoft's second annual MCAPS for Partners event took place Tuesday, delivering a volley of updates and directives for its partners for fiscal 2026.

  • Microsoft Layoffs: AI Is the Obvious Elephant in the Room

    As Microsoft doubles down on an $80 billion bet on AI this fiscal year, its workforce reductions are drawing scrutiny over whether AI's ascent is quietly reshaping its human capital strategy, even as official messaging avoids drawing a direct line.