OSSI's mission is to promote the development and implementation of open source software solutions within U.S. Federal, state, and local government agencies.

To achieve this mission, OSSI serves as:

• An Open Source Advocate - OSSI serves as a vendor-neutral, technology-agnostic voice for the development, adoption, and support of open source software solutions within public sector technology environments.
• An R&D Facilitator - OSSI serves as a facilitator of research and development activities that help identify challenges, strategies, and technology solutions within government systems that can be addressed through the use of open source software.
• A Strategic Integrator - OSSI serves as a forum for public and private-sector representatives to exchange information, identify opportunities and economic and operational benefits available through the use of open source software and the open source development model.