That's because organizations like the one you work have governance models that aren't actually focused on delivering IT services.
If you use open-source software, you don't need to procure anything, right? At one level, that's great, but to people who run the contracts unit or procurement team, that doesn't compute. In their world, you hassle people for a discount and fight over contract terms.
Why do you think that Red Hat sells support contracts in the guise of a software license?
Answer: Because the processes that enable big companies/government to spend money on services are vastly different than software. On a services contract, you need to negotiate statements of work, etc. For a software contract, you just need to buy a software SKU and a maintenance/support SKU.
If you use open-source software, you don't need to procure anything, right? At one level, that's great, but to people who run the contracts unit or procurement team, that doesn't compute. In their world, you hassle people for a discount and fight over contract terms.
Why do you think that Red Hat sells support contracts in the guise of a software license?
Answer: Because the processes that enable big companies/government to spend money on services are vastly different than software. On a services contract, you need to negotiate statements of work, etc. For a software contract, you just need to buy a software SKU and a maintenance/support SKU.