Official UK procurement notice
Microsoft Unified Support 2026-2029
Authority: Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe current support arrangement with Microsoft is approaching expiry and continued access to Microsoft Unified Support is required to maintain operational resilience, support cyber security capability and ensure continuity of support for the Assembly Commission’s Microsoft technology stack. Therefore, a new contract arrangement is required to ensure uninterrupted service provision.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 16 Jun 2026, 13:21 BST
- Last source update
- 30 Jun 2026, 11:22 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-061127- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b5ecFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Intellectual Property Exclusive Rights
- Published justification
The justification for direct award is as below:
The assessment confirms that a direct award under section 41 and Schedule 5, paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 is legally permissible. Schedule 5, paragraph 5 permits a direct award where only one supplier can supply the goods, services or works required due to intellectual property or other exclusive rights.
Schedule 5, paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 allows for the award of a contract without competition when:
The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract—
(a) due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and
(b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
26 Jun 2026 → 30 Jun 2026 · 2 dates- Standstill ends116 days ago26 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Notice published113 days ago30 Jun 2026, 11:22 BST
Notice history
4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 16 Jun 2026- Transparency notice published16 Jun 2026, 13:21 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published17 Jun 2026, 13:45 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected28 Jun 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published30 Jun 2026, 11:22 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Ltd1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029 | £233,000 | 17 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · Microsoft Ltd
- Signed
- 28 Jun 2026
- Value
- £233,000
- Period
- 1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029
- Status
- active
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Microsoft LimitedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender