The federal government's Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) said it has extended the Microsoft Volume Licensing Arrangement (VSA 5) for another 12 months, with an end date now of June 30, 2026.
DTA's extension provides a longer lead time for contract review, and engagement for version 6 of the VSA, it said.
Through the extension, government agencies will also be able to continue existing commercial arrangements, have early visibility of locked pricing for budger forecasting, have the Supplier Code of Conduct included in the Master Business and Services Agreement that outlines the duties and commitments for all parties involved.
In August last year, the agency said it is in discussions with Microsoft on the next version of the VSA, which covers 180,000 licenses for the Office productivity suite, and access to ther software.
The current VSA dates back to mid-2019, when it was in its fourth iteration.
For the next VSA, Microsoft's Copilot is considered for inclusion.
DTA is also looking at contract changes related to bundled software being split into individual products by Microsoft.
Data#3 is believed to remain the licensed provider for the VSA for all government agencies.
The Brisbane-headquartered provider is a large Microsoft partner, and has been the government's go-to for VSAs since 2008.
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