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Microsoft Unified Support

Suffolk County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

20 Aug 2026 at 10:54

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

08 May 2026 at 13:22

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

08 May 2026 at 11:48

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council procured Microsoft Unified Support for its Microsoft estate. The requirement covers a professionally managed break/fix service, proactive technical support, incident response, forward planning and strategic support for a complex, business-critical technology environment. It is an IT support and consultancy service, classified under CPV 72000000. The service supports the council’s essential public services and the technical, organisational and operational changes associated with local government reorganisation and devolution in Suffolk. Delivery is across Suffolk County Council’s operations in the United Kingdom. The buying organisation is Suffolk County Council, based in Ipswich. The scope is centred on maintaining the stability, security, continuity, integration and effective operation of the council’s Microsoft platform and wider Microsoft estate.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded through a direct award on the basis of single-supplier technical reasons. Microsoft Limited was awarded the contract on 23 January 2026. The award and contract value is £506,824.81 excluding VAT, or £608,186.17 including VAT. The awarded contract covers one lot. The award period runs from 20 May 2026 to 31 March 2029, while the signed contract period runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. The contract was signed on 25 March 2026 and is active. Suffolk County Council justified the direct award by citing the complexity, sensitivity and business-critical nature of its Microsoft estate, and Microsoft’s position as the platform provider, operator and strategic technology partner during local government reorganisation and devolution.

This requirement is most relevant to established Microsoft specialists able to provide enterprise-scale support across a complex public-sector technology estate. A credible future competitor would need deep expertise in Microsoft platforms, incident and break/fix management, proactive service improvement, forward technical planning and strategic technology support. The buyer’s rationale indicates that architectural integrity, security, data governance, service continuity, collaboration and user experience are important considerations, alongside clear accountability for an integrated service. Suppliers should therefore be able to demonstrate the capacity to support business-critical public services through major organisational and technology change, with the operational maturity to manage sensitive environments and coordinate platform, support and strategic functions cohesively. The incumbent’s role as Microsoft’s platform provider and strategic partner shows the level of specialist capability against which alternatives would need to compete.

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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.

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.

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/079337-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details 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
£506,824 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
23 Jan 20267 months ago
Contract Period
1 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

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
Postcode Area
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 Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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