Objectives

The primary objective is to appoint a qualified Microsoft licensing partner to supply, provision, manage, and support 170 Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Copilot Business licenses over a fixed 36-month period. The appointment aims to ensure uninterrupted licensing continuity, seamless integration with ECSA’s identity management infrastructure, and structured annual reconciliation, compliance reporting, and flexible quantity adjustments aligned with operational needs and approved budgets.

Scope of Work

• Lifecycle Management: Supply, activate, assign, and maintain licenses within ECSA’s tenant, ensuring alignment with existing subscription anniversary dates to prevent service disruption.
• Inventory & Reporting: Maintain a current licensing inventory, provide assignment status documentation, and deliver annual reconciliation and compliance reports.
• Renewal & Billing Support: Issue renewal quotations and forward cost projections at least 90 days before each anniversary date. Manage annual invoicing, billing queries, and Microsoft/distributor escalations.
• Flexibility & Change Management: Process approved increases, decreases, or SKU changes in accordance with Microsoft commercial rules and ECSA written authorisation.
• Documentation & Handover: Provide signed purchase orders, provisioning evidence, licence assignment reports, knowledge-transfer sessions, and standard operating procedures for ongoing licence management.
• Add-on Governance: Any separately licensed or consumption-based services (e.g., Copilot Studio, APIs, premium connectors) must be disclosed with pricing and commercial rationale, requiring explicit ECSA approval before activation.

Technical Requirements

• Maintain an active Microsoft Solutions Partner for AI Business Solutions designation (or approved successor) and operate as an authorised Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP).
• Demonstrate capability to transact cloud subscriptions, manage CSP billing models, and synchronise licences with ECSA’s directory services.
• Comply with South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and applicable GDPR standards for data processed during licensing management.
• Ensure all subscriptions remain active, tenant-aligned, and auditable throughout the contract term.
• Provide a designated primary point of contact and established escalation pathways for commercial and technical matters.

Skills Requirements

• Company Experience: Proven track record in managing multi-year Microsoft 365 subscription portfolios, tenant-aligned licensing, CSP billing, and annual renewal cycles. Stronger evaluation scores are awarded for extensive industry experience.
• Personnel Competence: Assigned staff must hold verified certifications or documented expertise in cloud subscription management, licensing administration, and customer support.
• Operational Proficiency: Ability to conduct annual reconciliations, forecast costs, manage quantity/SKU transitions, and deliver structured knowledge-transfer sessions with comprehensive handover packs.
• Governance & Communication: Capability to maintain clear audit trails, respond to entitlement queries, and coordinate seamlessly with ECSA’s procurement and IT teams.

Notes on Unusual or Complicated Terms

• Microsoft Entra ID: Previously known as Azure Active Directory, this is ECSA’s central identity and access management platform. All licensed subscriptions must be synchronised and administered within this environment.
• Cloud Solution Provider (CSP): Microsoft’s official channel programme enabling partners to resell, provision, bill, and manage cloud subscriptions directly to end customers, replacing traditional enterprise volume licensing models.
• SKU Successor Mapping: Microsoft frequently consolidates or renames software packages. The contract mandates that any discontinued licence be replaced with a functionally equivalent alternative at no extra implementation cost, preserving budget predictability and service continuity.
• Non-Auto-Renewal & Flexible Quantities: The agreement is strictly fixed-term (36 months) with no automatic extension. Annual licence counts are baseline estimates for bid evaluation; actual procurement volumes may fluctuate yearly based on ECSA’s operational shifts, budget approvals, and Microsoft’s commercial policies.