Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk intends to conclude a high-performance 2nd and 3rd level support contract for services and products of the manufacturer Microsoft as lead buyer for participating ARD broadcasters as well as ZDF, joint facilities of ARD (GSEAs) and subsidiaries, as listed in Section I.1.

With a joint support contract, the aim is to provide comprehensive support for Microsoft products that is as transparent as possible. The client pursues the goal of mutually benefiting in terms of support and thus also reducing individual expenses.

The subject of the contract is the contractor's services for proactive, reactive and comprehensive support services - in each case related to the products of the manufacturer Microsoft. These apply to both cloud and on-premise products. For proactive and reactive services/requests, both 2nd and 3rd level services are offered. 2nd level services are provided by the contractor, 3rd level services are provided directly by the manufacturer. If necessary or at the request of the Contractor, requests by the Contractor (2nd level) are escalated to the manufacturer (3rd level) and provided by the latter.