Integrating Open Source in a large consulting firm

doc6502 writes: I work for a global IT consulting company. I have the task of investigating a formal role for using Open Source in our company. We use open source applications and tools internally and at client sites, but the implentations are viewed as one-offs by our local offices. As we are beginning to experience an increasing demand for Open Source solutions, we are looking at trying design Open Source solutions for areas like government, business, and education. What we are looking to do is 1) formalize and consolidate our global Open Source knowledge to accommodate new and existing client requirements, 2) Define a review process that will enable us to quickly review Open Source tools, applications, etc, and 3) provide a contribution scheme so we can donate code to the Open Source Community. Has anyone gone through this process? If so, what obstacles did you meet and overcome? What was the review and evaluation process you implemented when reviewing OS tools? Did donating code raise internal legal issues?