Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Indiana Public Universities Combine Purchasing Power for Best Deal on Microsoft Products

  • 05/24/17

BLOOMINGTON, IN – There’s strength in numbers when it comes to higher education software agreements.

Five Hoosier public universities capitalized on their combined size to secure a new deal to provide Microsoft products to tens of thousands of students, faculty and staff, at a significant discount.

This spring, Indiana University (IU), Purdue University, Ball State University, Ivy Tech Community College and the University of Southern Indiana submitted a joint request for proposal (RFP) for Microsoft software and services, more formally known as an Enrollment for Education Solutions (EES) agreement. After a competitive bidding process, the joint RFP has been awarded to a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) reseller as a three-year contract.

“We came to together to collaborate shared resources and like programs for better purchasing power, and in turn we got the biggest discount any of us has ever had with a Microsoft reseller,” says Tally Thrasher, IU director of purchasing administration and lead negotiator on the deal. “Additionally, our contract is going toward a minority-owned enterprise, which helps all of us to achieve state goals in that area.”

The IU/Microsoft partnership began in 1998, when the university signed a $6-million licensing agreement with the software giant. In that deal, IU secured the rights to use Microsoft products on its campuses and to distribute the company's software to all students, professors, and staff members.

The new contract continues IU’s existing deal with Microsoft to allow IU students, faculty and staff to download many of Microsoft's most popular software products at no cost through IUware. Also, throughout the life of the contract, they can upgrade to the latest versions of these Microsoft products at no additional licensing cost.

“IU’s agreement includes a significant discount over the standard educational pricing offered to other schools and is by far the least expensive way to provide these products to the institution,” says Mark Lynch, manager of IU’s software services and licensing unit. “Without these discounts, the cost to IU would increase by $1.1 million per year.”

“For almost 20 years, faculty and parents could be certain that every IU student on every IU campus from Gary to New Albany had the essential software tools to support their education,” says Cathy O’Bryan, IU associate vice president for client services and support. “This deal is a great equalizer to all students on IU campuses.” 

Featured

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.