Technology Solutions is recommending the approval to purchase annual Microsoft Unified Advanced Support. This service is only available through Microsoft as it relates directly to Microsoft products and services used by all City of Plano employees.
This support agreement provides the City with expedited and critical Microsoft support directly from Microsoft employees, including their development staff. This agreement includes unlimited hours of real-time problem resolution support, on-demand assessments for major Microsoft systems, on-demand technical training, access to cybersecurity helpdesk, and advanced advisory escalation and support as needed in crisis situations. The support provided by Microsoft is crucial for time-sensitive and emergency support for Microsoft products within our environment. This support allows Technology Solutions to continue providing critical network and application continuity and allows for a reduction in downtime for outages as well as guided technical implementation for new and emerging Microsoft products.
It is the recommendation of the Technology Solutions department to award this to Microsoft Corporation in the amount of $142,328 in order to reduce the time to resolve issues related to Microsoft products and services. This cost is based on a percent of license spend of the City’s Microsoft Enterprise Agreement.
The support identified in this agreement is through January 25, 2024. If this is not awarded, our ability to support our customers will be greatly reduced, eliminating opportunities for expediting problem resolution as well as reducing training on products/services to stay abreast of the latest security features.
The City is exempt from the competitive bid process for the purchase as allowed by Texas Local Government Code Chapter 252 Subchapter B Section 252.022(a)(7)(A). (City of Plano Internal Contract No. 2023-0153-X)