Andorra Councillor Questions €3.1M Microsoft Deal Over Dependency Risks

Social-democrat councillor Laia Moliné has questioned whether the government's digital transformation model risks creating excessive reliance on Microsoft, following the direct award of a contract worth nearly €3.1 million in licences and related services.

The agreement, granted through a negotiated urgent procedure to a local firm, covers a three-year period. During Thursday's session at the General Council, Moliné stressed that her concerns targeted Andorra's overall approach rather than Microsoft itself. She recalled the government's earlier goal of avoiding single-provider dependency and highlighted a lack of coherence with this latest deal. "Is Andorra building its own digital capacity or a model increasingly dependent on external providers?" she asked.

Moliné noted the contract extends beyond basic tools like Word or Excel to include platforms such as Teams, Copilot, and data management systems. She inquired whether the government has set limits to prevent future "impossible" shifts away from Microsoft due to deepening integration.

Digital Transformation and Public Function Minister Marc Rossell rejected claims of dependency, emphasising a diverse technological ecosystem involving more than 90 providers. He clarified the deal stemmed from an Andorra Digital tender with multiple bidders, forming a national aggregated purchase that public entities can join without new processes to improve efficiency.

Rossell argued that unifying fragmented systems first enables easier future changes and boosts public sector productivity. The minister confirmed that alternatives are under study to cut costs and enhance digital sovereignty, citing complementary systems like IBM already in use. He added that Microsoft's solution best met the range of needs identified across central, parish, public, and parapublic bodies, given Andorra's scale compared to larger nations pursuing open-source options.

Moliné also pointed out that 80% of Andorra Digital's €2.6 million budget—€2.1 million—flows to external firms, questioning if Microsoft was favoured from the outset. Rossell maintained the selection prioritised unification before broader shifts. Authorities have not outlined specific alternative plans in detail.