Do you represent an SME?

Do you currently do business with government?

Do you want to do business with government?

On 29 May between 3.30pm and 5.30pm, we need you.

We are asking people from SMEs to come and talk to us about the Open Standards consultation.

The proposed policy aims to level the playing field for open source and proprietary software providers in government IT and to reduce costs whilst providing better public services.

What we'll be discussing:

• How would mandating open standards in government IT affect your organisation?

• If the government adopts open standards, will it make it easier or harder for you to do business with us - does it help level the playing field?

• Do you have any examples of times when the lack of open standards has acted as a barrier to you doing business with us?

• What might adopting open standards prevent?

A quick explanation of the key points of the consultation will be given at the beginning of the discussion so you will be equipped to contribute to the debate.

We will record the discussion so we can capture your views and the issues we need to consider - note that this audio recording may be made public.

Venue: MadLab in Manchester's Northern Quarter. See http://madlab.org.uk/contact/  for details of parking and public transport.

Space is limited, so please book as soon as possible.

We look forward to hearing your views.