Purpose

1.The council procures Microsoft licences on a
three-year basis through a third party vendor. To procure Microsoft
licences, Watford Borough Council has to procure through a third
party vendor there is no direct procurement available from
Microsoft.
2.The current supplier, Phoenix, has provided a quote for renewal
of the council’s Enterprise Microsoft agreement for a period
of three years. Phoenix as our current provider are a tier 1
re-seller who have provided quote at a cost price with a further
discount.
3.Phoenix are Microsoft 365 (M365) experts who Watford has utilised
in setting up and securing the M365 tenancy. This includes
migration to Exchange Online, Teams, and Intune Mobile Device
Management (MDM.) Moving away from Phoenix would incur further
costs as new vendors would need to perform audits and workshops of
the configuration and security of the tenancy as there would be a
lack of knowledge.
4.The renewal quote has been compared with another tier 1
vendor’s quote. Phoenix are a Microsoft Powerhouse supplier
and a Solutions Partner, meaning they can offer additional
professional services for future Microsoft projects which the
council may wish to take forward. Additional value added services
include licensing workshops, sessions on Microsoft 365 features,
support with accessibility, software baseline assessment and
training. Also fast track to potentially secure funding from
Microsoft to implement new features.
5.This approach has been agreed with the Procurement Manager.
6.Microsoft has made the council aware that they require 60-90 days
to process the order. The current contract expires on 30 September
2023.

Decision

To direct award to Phoenix the Enterprise
Microsoft agreement for Watford Borough Council for three
years.