Microsoft has signed off a deal with Buying Solutions thatwill allow the vendor to sell across the public sector and give the governmentthe chance to trumpet £75m worth of savings.
The aim of Buying Solutions was to get competitive and consistentpricing from Microsoft and it has been clear that any deal has to be value formoney, particularly in the current climate where the government is looking totrim costs.
That had led to the deal taking time to hammer out as thelist of demands from Buying Solutions was quite steep.
After consultations with national and local governmentrepresentatives it became clear that they not only wanted competitive pricing buta flat cost structure that did not reward departments based on size. There isalso the option to transfer licences between public sector organisations.
Microsoft has developed a number of public sector packagesthat are designed to appeal to specific job functions.
Angela Eagle, exchequer secretary to the Treasury, said thatthe flexibility in the licensing terms would produce £75m worth of savings tothe tax payer in the next five years.
“The public sector must continually strive to become moreinnovative and collaborative in how it buys its goods and services to deliver maximumvalue for the tax payer,” she said.
“It also reinforces the Government’s commitment to its OpenSource Action Plan by setting up a facility to reuse and share licences acrossthe public sector,” she added.
Buying Solutions indicated that the model it had struck withMicrosoft would be the purchasing approach it would be looking to replicatewith other vendors.
“Through innovation and collaboration we have been able tomaximise the spending power of the public sector and deliver a lower cost,highly flexible solution," said AlisonLittley, chief executive of Buying Solutions.
"This is a great example of the opportunities BuyingSolutions is targeting to make further savings in the future,” she added.
“The UKpublic sector is a key customer for us and we have responded to its dualrequirements for flexibility and best pricing,” said Microsoft UK publicsector director Nicola Hodson.
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