The Secretary of State to the Spanish Higher Information Technology Board, Victor Izquierdo, says the Spanish government is one of Europe’s top investors in technology. The last European Commission survey was in 1989 and, based on budget and the number of civil servants devoted to information technology, Spain was in the middle rankings. According to Computerworld Espana, Izquierdo attributes the growth partly to the creation of the Higher IT Board, a collegiate body designed to structure government information technology policy preparation and development organs. The Board has two arms – the Interministerial Committee of Goods and Services Acquisitions, and the National Committee for Co-operation within Public Adminstration. The government has been accused of indiscriminate purchasing, and the Interministerial Committee is about to set up a group to monitor installations and their efficacy. Also, the government is making a concerted effort to overcome compatibility problems by buying open systems – Unix more often than not. The Higher IT Board has instituted an Open Systems Strategy for the State in an attempt to ensure compatibility and reduce re-training as staff move from one system to another. The Spanish government is an active participant is several European projects including Eurometodo – the creation of a European-wide methodology for the planning, design and implementation of complex computer systems.
