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Microsoft Business Central Delivery and Support Partner

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

09 Jul 2026 at 14:06

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process is currently in the planning stage for the contract titled "Microsoft Business Central Delivery and Support Partner," managed by the Department for Education, based in Sanctuary Buildings, 20 Great Smith Street, London, United Kingdom. This procurement, related to system and support services within the IT services industry, plans to engage businesses that can provide specialist support for the Department's core finance system, specifically Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Key dates include a virtual supplier engagement event on 30th July 2026, with further feedback due by 14th August 2026. The anticipated procurement timeline indicates the contract period will begin on 1st June 2027 and could extend to 31st May 2033. The budget for this procurement is valued grossly at £8,100,000, with an expected renewal cycle. The procurement effort will be essential in maintaining the Department's technology infrastructure, aligning it with future goals, and ensuring its operational continuity.

This tender offers significant opportunity for accredited Microsoft Solutions Partners, especially those with Microsoft Business Applications accreditation, to leverage their expertise in Microsoft technology implementations. It is ideally suited for businesses with capabilities in supporting and developing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and related Microsoft technologies including SQL Server databases, Power Platform, and more. Companies that excel in IT consulting, software development, and systems support will find this opportunity beneficial for expanding their footprint in the public sector. This procurement will require continuous collaboration with the Department's internal stakeholders and other service providers, making it a fertile ground for businesses aiming to strengthen their partnerships within the central government sector and drive sustainable growth.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Microsoft Business Central Delivery and Support Partner

Notice Description

This procurement relates to the appointment of an accredited Microsoft Solutions Partner (with Microsoft Business Applications accreditation) to provide specialist support, maintenance, development, enhancement and consultancy services for the Department's core finance system, based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (currently hosted on-premises within Azure Cloud, with a future roadmap to migrate to the SaaS platform). The contract is intended to ensure the ongoing stability, performance, resilience and evolution of this business-critical platform and its associated Microsoft technology estate. The Supplier shall possess the technical expertise and capability to support, maintain and develop the wider Microsoft application environment, including Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft SQL Server databases, integration services, Power Platform, Copilot, Logic Apps and associated Microsoft technologies. The scope of the requirement includes the provision of 2nd and 3rd line support services delivered against agreed service levels and key performance indicators (KPIs), including incident response and resolution times based on the priority and severity of incidents. The Supplier will be responsible for incident, problem and change management, code development, code deployment, system enhancements and continuous service improvement activities. The Supplier will assume responsibility for the support, maintenance, performance optimisation and ongoing development of all existing custom code, extensions, integrations, Logic Apps, Power Platform solutions, Copilot capabilities, workflows and associated components within the Business Central environment. The Supplier will deliver platform upgrades, release and deployment management, technical architecture support, integration services, disaster recovery planning and testing, business continuity support, security and assurance activities, and all associated documentation and knowledge transfer activities. The Supplier will ensure the continued availability, resilience, recoverability, scalability and performance of the platform, whilst maintaining alignment with Microsoft's product roadmap and delivering ongoing enhancements to support the Department's evolving business and operational requirements. It is anticipated that the Supplier will act as the conduit for the administration and ongoing management of software licences, maintenance agreements, support contracts and enhancement services relating to third-party solutions used within the environment. This includes, but is not limited to, Microsoft enhancements, Insights JET Enterprise, the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) Application provided via MITL Ltd, Continia (OCR), and the Miracle Pay Application provided via EQE2. The Supplier will be responsible for coordinating these arrangements and ensuring continuity of the associated services throughout the contract term. The Supplier shall work collaboratively with internal Department for Education stakeholders and the Department's contracted managed service provider to support the effective operation, maintenance and continuous improvement of the service, ensuring appropriate governance, communication, knowledge sharing and alignment across all parties. Overall, the requirement encompasses the full range of specialist services necessary to maintain, support, enhance and develop the Department's Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central environment and associated Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft SQL Server databases, integrations, Logic Apps, Power Platform, disaster recovery and related services.

Planning Information

For the engagement process, the Department will undertake early market engagement to inform the development of the procurement. This will include a virtual supplier engagement event on 30 July, 13:00 – 13:30 during which the Commercial and Project leads will present an overview of the requirement, the proposed scope of services, and indicative procurement timelines. Following the event, suppliers will be invited to provide feedback via a Microsoft Forms questionnaire. Feedback gathered will be used to help shape the procurement approach. Suppliers wishing to participate should register on the Jaggaer portal at this link: https://education.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html and submit an expression of interest for the event titled ‘ssq_807 - Microsoft Business Central Delivery Partner’. Invites for the event will issued no later than 24 hours before the event.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c7b7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064798-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

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

CPV Codes

48000000 - Software package and information systems

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

72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services

72212331 - Project management software development services

72230000 - Custom software development services

72250000 - System and support services

72261000 - Software support services

72262000 - Software development services

72268000 - Software supply services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£6,750,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Jul 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
26 Oct 20264 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 May 2027 - 31 May 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3BT
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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