This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

03 Aug 2026 at 10:00

Award

31 Jul 2026 at 09:49

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process under review pertains to National Highways Limited, the buying organisation located in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The process involves the renewal of the Microsoft Unified Support contract for the period of 2026-2027, within the services industry category. This procurement follows a direct award method, specifically because Microsoft Ltd is the only capable supplier for the required services, ensuring vendor-level support for critical Microsoft services used by National Highways. The procurement stage currently is at the contract award phase, having been completed on 3rd August 2026, with the contract period scheduled to start on 14th August 2026 and end on 16th August 2027.

This tender provides an opportunity for Microsoft Ltd to continue supporting National Highways' critical systems, offering services such as incident escalation and access to proprietary advisory capabilities. While the direct award negates competition from other suppliers, for businesses similar in scale and capability to Microsoft, the contract exemplifies the importance of establishing singular expertise in niche services which are considered irreplaceable. Businesses aiming to grow in the public sector should focus on building unique capabilities and proprietary services that can position them as sole providers for future procurement opportunities.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

UK5 - Transparency Notice-Microsoft Unified Support Renewal 2026-2027 D

Notice Description

The Commercial & Procurement Strategy (CPS) sets out procurement for a Business As Usual (BAU) annual contract renewal for Microsoft Unified Support (MUS) for one year from August 2026. This is a continuation of an existing Microsoft vendor support arrangement. It is not a new technology initiative, new product build, new service design, or request for DTC solutioning. Requirement Overview National Highways relies on MUS to support business-critical Microsoft services and complex incidents across the organisation. MUS provides: * vendor-level support for Microsoft 365 * Teams * Exchange Online, Dynamics 365, Azure * On-premises infrastructure Without renewal National Highways would lose direct vendor support for complex incidents.

Procurement Information

Microsoft being the only supplier capable of providing these service" Evidence supporting reliance on Section 41 and Schedule 5 ("Only One Supplier") will be retained within the procurement file to support transparency, assurance and audit requirements". National Highways requires direct vendor support from Microsoft for escalation of complex incidents, access to proprietary product engineering teams, platform-specific advisory services, proactive service assessments and security-related support activities. These services can only be provided by Microsoft and cannot be replicated by third-party resellers, systems integrators or managed service providers.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d881
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073064-2026
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

72261000 - Software support services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£616,005 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Aug 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
31 Jul 20265 days ago
Contract Period
13 Aug 2026 - 16 Aug 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BIRMINGHAM
Postcode
B4 6GA
Post Town
Birmingham
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG3 West Midlands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG31 Birmingham
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Birmingham
Electoral Ward
Ladywood
Westminster Constituency
Birmingham Ladywood

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

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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