---
title: "UK5 - Transparency Notice-Microsoft Unified Support Renewal 2026-2027 D"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06d881"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d881"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d881.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d881.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NATIONAL HIGHWAYS LIMITED"
published: "2026-08-03"
---

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

Buyer: NATIONAL HIGHWAYS LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06d881

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d881)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d881.json)

## Summary

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.

## Notice

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.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073064-2026 |
| 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 |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 31 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 13 Aug 2026 - 16 Aug 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £616,005 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NATIONAL HIGHWAYS LIMITED |
| Locality | BIRMINGHAM |
| Post town | Birmingham |
| Postcode | B4 6GA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands |
| ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham |
| Local authority | Birmingham |
| Electoral ward | Ladywood |
| Westminster constituency | Birmingham Ladywood |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | MICROSOFT |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72261000 - Software support services

## Release History

- 3 Aug 2026 at 10:00 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073064-2026
- 31 Jul 2026 at 09:49 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072583-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073064-2026
  3rd August 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072583-2026
  31st July 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://nationalhighways.co.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d881. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d881.json.