An extremely good chance to get some pet projects going... under the radar. So that they can become tailored and nicely done and show a benefit when noticed.
Not to undermine him, but help him see the light and explain the saving/benefit for something that usually costs \\$$LICENSE_COST, whereas this costs \\$$FREE_AS_IN_FREE_BEER.
I usually start with Fringe stuff. Things that are less than optimal and out of mind right now and could be significantly improved with $OPEN_SOURCE_PROJECT and $MINIMAL_AFTER_HOURS time.