If the component is of low value (basic commodity) to the overall solution or if there is limited technical knowledge of the domain, then a professional open source company should be considered to provide these value-added services.
However, if the component is strategically important to the product and there is sufficient technology knowledge of the domain within the company then a direct approach should be considered by getting involved with the open source project and contributing to its ongoing development.
Adam Leach is a principal analyst at Ovum