Army Microsoft moratorium nears its end
The moratorium on buying Microsoft software was established while officials negotiated a new enterprise licensing agreement.
A moratorium on purchasing Microsoft software, issued June 1 after the Army’s Microsoft Enterprise License Agreement (MS ELA) expired, will end after the Army finishes developing the ordering site, according to an official at Army Computer Hardware, Enterprise Software and Solutions (CHESS) office.
Tom Seadeek, product leader at CHESS, said that site should be up and running “by the end of the month.”
The moratorium on purchasing Microsoft software was established in order to facilitate negotiation of a new enterprise agreement, Seadeek said. He did not elaborate on contractual details.
A $42,300,300 MS ELA 2 contract was awarded on July 7 to Softmart Government Services, Downing, Pa., according to the Defense Department. Officials expect to reach the monetary ceiling late in 2014.