Qld govt signs $60m Microsoft deal

The Queensland Government expects to save $10 million over three years through a new licensing agreement it has sealed with Microsoft.

The agreement, which could be worth around $60 million over the three years, will see the state having access to "competitively-priced" software and services as part of a whole-of-government sourcing arrangement which will cover 150,000 government employees. The government currently spends around $20 million annually.

The agreement would support the Queensland government's move to establish a standardised desktop fleet, email and server platform, according to Microsoft. This vision had already led to some departments planning their moves to Windows 7, a spokesperson for Minister for Public Works and Information and Communications Technology, Robert Schwarten said.

The minister said the whole-of-government arrangement had been created to give all departments access to a range of "essential server technologies for deployment across the government".

"In addition, the arrangement gives all state and local government entities the opportunity to purchase other Microsoft solutions with various options, depending upon the needs of the agency involved," he said.

Since June, the government has been setting up a large account reseller panel arrangement to acquire the Microsoft licenses. Detailed negotiations commenced between both parties in October.

ZDNet.com.au understands that Dell is one of the vendors which will have a place on the panel.