Award

Microsoft Unified Support

SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

08 May 2026 at 12:22

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

08 May 2026 at 10:48

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council has completed a direct award procurement process for the "Microsoft Unified Support" contract, aimed at enhancing IT services for its Microsoft estate. The contract, characterised under the services industry category, was awarded to Microsoft Limited for a three-year duration starting from 1st April 2026. This agreement involves a comprehensive provision of support services, encompassing break/fix and proactive measures to ensure the stability and continuity of the council's critical Microsoft-based operations. The procurement method was a direct award due to the complexity and criticality of the services required. The contract was formally documented on 8th May 2026, with services to commence on 20th May 2026, highlighting Ipswich, UKH14, as the primary location for service delivery.

This tender provides significant growth opportunities for businesses with expertise in IT support, consulting, software development, and strategic planning services, particularly those familiar with large-scale Microsoft solutions. Enterprises capable of delivering specialist insight and possessing a track record of managing complex IT infrastructure will find favourable conditions to leverage this contract. Given the scale of the contract and the involvement of existing strategic partnerships, businesses looking to engage in support services for government transformation projects, while ensuring robust service continuity and technical expertise, will find this tender particularly suitable for driving business expansion.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Microsoft Unified Support

Notice Description

Provision of a professionally run break/fix and proactive support service for Suffolk County Councils Microsoft Estate. The contract was awarded for a 3-year period starting 1st April 2026. Due to an administrative oversight no award notice was issued prior to contract signing. Suffolk County Council is issuing this award notice to rectify the position.

Procurement Information

Suffolk County Council operates a highly complex and business-critical Microsoft estate that underpins the delivery of essential public services across the county. The scale, integration and sensitivity of this environment require deep, specialist expertise to ensure stability, security and continuity. Microsoft, as the platform provider, operator and strategic technology partner, is uniquely positioned to deliver these incident support, forward planning and strategic support services cohesively under a single contract, ensuring architectural integrity, clear accountability and a consistent approach across the entire estate. During the lifetime of this contract, Suffolk County Council will enter a period of Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution. This represents the most significant and transformative phase of change the councils of Suffolk have faced in recent history, introducing unprecedented technical, organisational and operational complexity. The risks associated with this scale of transformation-spanning service continuity, data governance, security, collaboration, and user experience-are substantial. Maintaining continuous access to qualified Microsoft subject matter expertise and proactive assurance services throughout this period is therefore essential. Specialist support will play a critical role in reducing the risk of technical failure, strengthening governance and decision-making, and ensuring that complex changes to people, processes and technology are managed safely and effectively. Sustained, expert Microsoft support is considered as not optional during this period of change; it is a fundamental enabler of successful transition, resilience and long-term value for Suffolk's forthcoming local government structures. The contract was awarded for a 3-year period starting 1st April 2026. Due to an administrative oversight no transparency notice was issued prior to contract award. Suffolk County Council is issuing this transparency notice to rectify the position.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06947c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042507-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£506,824 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 May 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
23 Jan 20263 months ago
Contract Period
19 May 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
IPSWICH
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Post Town
Ipswich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

MICROSOFT

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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