Open source is typically outside of normal commercial software procurement processes. The Challenges. Increasingly diverse and distributed set of development resources. Little/no visibility into the origins of the software. Supply Chain Comparison: Hardware vs Software. Open source has revolutionized the mobile and device landscape, other industries will follow. Supply chain management techniques from hardware are useful for managing software. SPDX A standard format for communicating a software Bill of Materials across the supply chain. Effective management and control requires training, tools, processes and standards.