The Department for Education has been working with Bytes Software Services since 2020, spending approximately £86m on cloud hosting provided by the Microsoft reseller partner. They recently extended their contract for Microsoft Azure hosting services for nearly £4m, while preparing for a replacement agreement that is expected to start next month. The initial contract was signed in June 2020 for £45.45m and was extended to over £68m last year, equivalent to £81.8m including VAT. An additional £3.8m will be spent on the extension contract covering June and July. The follow-on deal aims to ensure continuity of service until the replacement cloud hosting deal is finalized. A procurement process is underway to secure a replacement contract through the CCS TePAS 2 framework, starting on August 1, 2024. The DfE started engaging with potential suppliers for this contract at the end of last year. They are considering options for future cloud hosting services provision and will host an industry market engagement event to gather input and better understand their emerging requirements.
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https://www.publictechnology.net/2024/07/11/business-and-industry/dfe-signs-4m-two-month-azure-extension-as-new-cloud-deal-looms/
Department for Education (DfE) extends Azure contract by £4m for two months while new cloud agreement is on the horizon
