The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has added 10 months to its contract with Trustmarque for the provision of a range of Microsoft licences.
An agreement that came into force in April 2022 is now set to run until the end of March 2025, taking the initial value of £20 million up to £30 million.
It covers services within the Microsoft 365 suite including email, Word, spreadsheets, Skype telephony, servers and security products, along with Azure cloud services that were not available at the beginning of the contract.
The contract award notice states: “The strategy is to continue use of these products and take advantage of enhancements developed during the current period. The strategy is one of renewal and refresh and most users will notice no additional change.
“There is no real alternative to Microsoft products readily available, any move away from Microsoft would be many years in the planning and execution.”
This reflects the major commitment by NHS England to using Microsoft products, which has involved a direct agreement in 2020 for discounts on the use of the company’s tools, and a five-year licensing agreement from 2023 with Bytes Software for access to productivity tools.
