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UK's Ministry of Defence awards Boxxe multimillion Microsoft license deal

Contract seeks 'support with the renewal and running of Microsoft Enterprise Agreement'

The UK's Ministry of Defence has awarded reseller Boxxe a contract worth up to £291 million for the renewal of Microsoft licenses for three years.

Through Defence Digital, its tech wing, the ministry sought "support with the renewal and running of Microsoft Enterprise Agreement," according to a contract award notice. The deal started in June 2022 and is set to expire in June 2025.

The contract was awarded via the framework agreement "RM6068 Technology Products & Associated Services Lot 3, Software and Associated Services" set up by the Crown Commercial Service. On its website, Boxxe said it was an "accredited Ministry of Defence security specialist" for Microsoft's Cloud Solutions.

"We have acted as an independent consultant, value-added reseller, solution designer, and secure services provider. This considerable experience has meant that security lies at the heart of every strategy Boxxe provides. From licensing through to the provision of multimillion-pound systems, we have the ability to deliver on any technical requirement with military-grade technology," it claimed.

Boxxe adds the MoD deal to a string of public-sector wins in recent months. These include a cloud mobile services contract with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs worth £4.5 million; a £2.1 million contract for Verint encryption licences with the Department for Work and Pensions; a £9.3 million contract with South Yorkshire Police; and an agreement with Kent Police worth up to £21 million.

For its part, the MoD will be hoping its form with technology procurement improves. Earlier this year it relaunched a program for a £1.7 billion recruitment system, including tech and business process outsourcing, its second attempt at getting the tender off the ground. The move followed an earlier £1.3 billion Army recruitment deal which saw Capita under-perform. In December 2020, Capita was awarded a £140 million extension to the contract and tacked on a project to migrate certain systems to Microsoft Azure.

The deal was set to see the notorious Recruiting Partnership Project extended from 2022 until 2024. Parliament's Public Accounts Committee had labeled the contract "abysmal" a year earlier.

The application and online support service website was yanked offline earlier this year by the MoD after intruders were spotted on the inside, compromising some data held on would-be solidiers. ®

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