This paper reflects on a two-year EU funded specific research targeted project that officially began in January 2004 entitled COSPA, a Consortium for studying, evaluating and supporting the introduction of Open Source Software and Open Data Standards in the Public Administration. COSPA focuses on office automation and desktop system software and aims at rigorously measuring the effort, costs and benefits of a transition to Open Source. The project involves 15 European Universities and Public Administrations from Italy, Hungary, Ireland, Denmark, UK, Belgium and about sixty observers, including the University of Alberto (Canada), Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).