Microsoft federal contract
This page describes everything you need to know about the Microsoft Federal contract, including the products it covers and the terms of access.
- Content of the Federal Contract with Microsoft
- Other Microsoft Licenses
- Permitted Installations
- Licensing Conditions
- Base Operating System
Content of the Federal Contract with Microsoft
Information on the current Microsoft federal contract will follow shortly.
In the beginning of 2025, the RWTH university renewed it's contract with Microsoft. The federal contract 4.0 includes the basic Microsoft licenses for all university workstations, as well as access to core services for students and employees. These products are licensed to the RWTH university for the duration of the contract.
The current federal contract 4.0 is valid for four years, starting on 01.05.2025 and running until 30.04.2030 (5 years).
The Campus Teilhabe is a variant for the allocation of financial resources for the federal contract with Microsoft. It is therefore a participation in the refinancing of the Microsoft licenses that RWTH Aachen University has procured for use in the service sector. The Campus Teilhabe itself is not a license. It entitles the holder to use the Microsoft licenses procured by RWTH Aachen University for business purposes in compliance with the contractual and licensing provisions of the federal contract. You can find more details on this system here.
The following products and services are currently licensed using the federal contract:
- Microsoft 365 Education A3
- Available in employee tenant *
- Windows 11 Education E3 Upgrade with Software Assurance (This software is only available as an upgrade to an existing OS - see Base Operating System)
- Office 365 Education A3
- Allows one Installation of Office Pro Plus 2021
- Core CAL Suite
- Windows Server
- Exchange Server Standard
- SharePoint Server Standard
- System Center Configuration Manager ML
- System Center Endpoint Protection
- Skype for Business Server Standard
- Enterprise Mobility + Security E3
- SharePoint Server
- Exchange Server
- IDM Server
- Microsoft 365 Education A3 Student Use Benefit
- Available in Student Tenant
- for the Students of RWTH Aachen University
- Analog to M365 Education A3, except without Software Assurance and CALs (see above)
- Right to Downgrade to Office Pro Plus 2021 or older versions not included
- CALs for Students of RWTH Aachen University
- Windows Server
- Exchange Server Standard
- SharePoint Server Standard
- Office 365 Education A1 Plus
- Additionally contained in the federal contract
- Available in the employee Tenant
- For HiWis, WiHis
Comparison of the contents of M365 Education A3 vs. M365 Education A3 Student Use Benefit
Other Products
Several further products, particularly the server-products themselves, are not part of the federal contract and must still be licensed as an add-on product to the contract or bought separately in the RWTH Software-Shop using the Microsoft Select Plus Contract. Some of the not-included licenses are:
- Microsoft SQL
- Microsoft Windows Server
- Remote Desktop CALs for Terminal Server use
- Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) for student access to virtual workstations.
Other Microsoft Licenses
Purchase from the vendor
Using the vendor for the Microsoft federal contract 4.0, other Microsoft licenses, like for example Windows Server, Microsoft SQL, etc., can be purchased at reduced prices. A minimum 10% discount is applied. Prices for some of the most commonly used additional licenses were also negotiated as part of the contract.
Alternatively, additional licenses can be acquired as permanent licenses from the RWTH Software Shop, using a Microsoft Select Plus Contract. This is, however, commonly more expensive than buying the licenses using the federal contract, particularly if software assurance is required.
The vendor's contact data, as well as a price chart for the additional licenses, can be found here. Please be aware that this page is only available to members of the RWTH.
Purchase from the Software Shop
The Microsoft federal contract allows the Work-At-Home license to install Windows 11 Education and Office for work-related purposes from home on private devices. For this purpose, employees can obtain a download with an individual activation key from the RWTH Software Shop. The prerequisite is that an activation of the licenses from the federal contract on a work-related device has already taken place previously. The license loses its validity at the end of the contractual relationship with RWTH Aachen University.
Permitted Installations
Students can use the Microsoft 365 Education A3 Student Benefit License to access many Microsoft products and services for their studies.
The Microsoft 365 Education A3 License includes the use of Office 365 (as an on-premise installation) and Microsoft Teams, for work use, until the termination of the contract (scheduled for 31.03.2022 for the time being).
Using the included right to downgrade, the Microsoft 365 Education A3 License also allows one installation of Office Pro Plus 2019 (or an older version) per person on one work laptop or PC. This right is exclusive to employees of RWTH Aachen university. In addition, Office Pro Plus 2019 (or an older version) may be installed and used on PCs and Laptops placed in university libraries, as well as other publicly accessible spaces (such as laboratories and lecture halls).
The local installation of Office 365 products may be done on up to 15 work devices (5 PCs or laptops/ 5 Tablets/5 Smartphones) per person. These limits are independent of previous activation of an Office Pro Plus 2019 version for that person. Web applications of Office 365 products are not available for RWTH employees. An installation on private devices is not permitted, even if those devices are used for work.
Simultaneous use of Office Pro Plus 2019 (or older versions) and Office 365 on one device is not possible. This also includes older versions of other Office products, such as Visio or Project. Further information on supported scenarios for the installation of varying versions of Microsoft Office, Visio and Project on the same device is available here.
Licensing Conditions
In addition to the licensing conditions of the federal contract, Microsoft's Product Terms und Online Service Terms also apply. You can check the linked document for the correct licensing of several Microsoft Products.
Please also note at this point that based on the conditions of these licensing agreements, remote access to devices in publicly accessible spaces (libraries, lecture halls, etc.) is not permitted. This condition can not be circumvented by obtaining licenses through other contracts.
Base Operating Systemt
Please Note! The Windows 10 Education Licenses included in the federal contract are only available as an upgrade. This means the product may only be installed on devices that already run a permitted base operating system. This could either be an operating system pre-installed by the hardware manufacturer (OEM-License) or a System Builder License.
The list of currently permitted base operating systems is available on the Product Terms > Windows Desktop Operating System page under "Qualifying OS - Per Device Licenses (Excluding Virtual Desktop Access Licenses)" in the "Academic & Charity" column.
