Councils paid Microsoft €185 million last year
An inventory of 334 councils shows how heavily local authorities rely on a single technology company.
Dutch councils together paid almost €185 million for Microsoft products and services in 2025. The inventory reveals the scale of the spending, but also the dependence on a single supplier.
Binnenlands Bestuur and AD collected the data from councils, partly through requests under the Open Government Act. The researchers were able to establish the spending of 334 of the 342 councils. The amount concerns councils only, not ministries, provinces, water authorities or other public institutions.
The bill includes licences for Microsoft 365, Outlook and Teams, as well as cloud storage, security, data analysis and Power BI. In total, that amounts to more than €10 per resident. The researchers emphasise that councils do not all keep their records in the same way, meaning some amounts were estimated.
The main question is therefore not only how much is being paid, but how much room councils still have to switch. When email, documents, meetings, data storage and security are organised within a single ecosystem, technical links and the training required can make switching expensive and complicated.
Technology experts cited in the inventory say the total amount is not in itself exceptional for a large municipal workforce. Their concern focuses mainly on the concentration of spending. If virtually all digital work processes run through a single supplier, price rises, outages or changing terms can affect many organisations at once.
At the same time, there is movement towards alternatives. In the latest version of its IT procurement terms, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities has included the ‘open unless’ principle. This means that, in principle, councils must choose open-source software for bespoke software, unless they can explain why that is not appropriate. The guideline does not require councils to terminate existing Microsoft contracts.
The inventory therefore primarily provides a starting point for the political debate. Reduced dependence could strengthen negotiating power and digital sovereignty, but it also requires investment in management, security, training and interoperability. The figure of €185 million does not prove that councils are paying too much; it does show the scale of the commercial and administrative importance of that choice.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Councils collectively paid almost €185 million to Microsoft in 2025.
- The inventory covers 334 of the 342 councils.
- Councils use Microsoft for a range of digital work processes.
- VNG applies an ‘open unless’ principle to new bespoke software.
Left
Arguments Public money should strengthen public digital infrastructure. Councils should invest more in open standards and alternatives to limit the concentration of power among Big Tech companies.
Values Public control, digital autonomy and fair market access.
Consequences Greater diversity could reduce dependence, but would require substantial public investment and could temporarily complicate service delivery.
Centre
Arguments Councils should seek the best balance between cost, security, continuity and ease of switching for each application. A principled choice for or against Microsoft is too crude.
Values Efficiency, reliability and administrative responsibility.
Consequences A gradual approach avoids disruption, but allows the existing dependence to continue for longer.
Right
Arguments Councils should focus primarily on performance and the use of taxpayers’ money. If Microsoft offers economies of scale, security and integration, switching is not automatically the wiser option.
Values Efficiency, freedom of choice and results-oriented government.
Consequences Sticking with a single supplier can keep costs and risks manageable, but increases vulnerability to changes in prices or policy.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The amounts, scope and open-source guideline can be verified in public sources. The text makes no unsubstantiated claim about waste or illegality.
- confirmed Councils paid almost €185 million to Microsoft in 2025. — Binnenlands Bestuur reports the total on the basis of the inventory. source
- confirmed 334 of the 342 councils provided data. — The source states that coverage was 97 per cent and specifies 334 of 342 councils. source
- confirmed Council spending includes Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, cloud services and Power BI. — The inventory describes these product and service categories. source
- confirmed VNG included an ‘open unless’ principle in GIBIT 2025. — Interoperable Europe describes the new procurement guideline and its non-binding nature. source
Editor's note
The amount and coverage of the inventory come from Binnenlands Bestuur’s public reporting. The source makes clear that some councils had to estimate amounts and that the figures do not cover the entire public sector.Sources
- Onderzoek: zoveel betalen gemeenten jaarlijks aan Microsoft — Binnenlands Bestuur
- Dutch municipalities default to open source — Interoperable Europe
- Dutch central government in the cloud — Algemene Rekenkamer
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „microsoft gemeenten”
- RTL Nieuws — „microsoft gemeenten”
- FD — „microsoft gemeenten”