On Friday, Google filed suit against the U.S. government, alleging that the process by which a government agency evaluated a request for a new software suite unfairly gave preference to Microsoft.

In 2009 the Department of the Interior sought a new collaboration and messaging suite for its approximately 88,000 employees. Google sought to join the process, but was allegedly rebuffed by the bureaucratic process.

Because of Microsoft's long history of providing government solutions, the suit alleges that the DOI established Microsoft Office as a departmental standard, which was affirmed in an updated decision in July 2010.

"[T]he SOW stated that 'extensive market research' led to a determination that the Microsoft BPOS Federal Solution was 'the DOI's product selection of choice,'" according to the suit.

Microsoft had submitted its Microsoft BPOS-Federal Suite, consisting of hosting services, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Office Communications Online. Google wished to challenge Microsoft with its Google Apps, a hosted service that Google said could be implemented more cheaply and effectively than Microsoft's service. In July, Google won FISMA certification for Google Apps for Government, a hosted version of Google Apps that Google said met the DOI's requirements.

Google asked the court to bar the Department of the Interior from going forward with the requisition process, including a planned 5,000-user pilot process for Microsoft's products.