Microsoft Business Central Delivery and Support Partner

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.