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Microsoft Azure AI Services – Environmental Modelling Platform

Proposal #10 · Submitted 2026-08-06
60
Conditional Approval
Acceptable returns subject to vendor selection and implementation risk review.
Requestor
Name
Amir Hassan
Email
Role
Data Science Manager
Region
EMEA – Middle East
Business Unit
Information Technology
Proposal
Description

3-year Azure commitment for AI/ML workloads: environmental dispersion modelling, satellite imagery analysis (Sentinel-2), and LLM-assisted EIA report drafting. Consolidates 4 existing cloud subscriptions.

Strategic Rationale

AI-assisted EIA drafting reduces report production time by est. 35%; imagery analytics wins automated permit monitoring contracts. Consolidation cuts cloud spend by 18%.

Approver Information
Urgency
Medium – current subscriptions expire Q1 2027
Risk Level
Medium
Risk Description
AI output quality assurance protocols required before client-facing deployment; 6-month internal validation planned.
Alternatives Considered
AWS and GCP evaluated — Azure preferred due to existing M365 integration and data residency compliance.
Vendor / Supplier Shortlist
Microsoft (sole supplier for Azure)
Implementation Timeline
4 months
Dependencies
Data governance policy approval; GDPR review complete
Regulatory Requirement
Yes – GDPR Article 22 (automated decision-making review)
Carbon / Sustainability Impact
Microsoft carbon-neutral Azure; net neutral
Financial Metrics
CapEx £0
Annual OpEx Change £210,000
Annual Benefit £380,000
Useful Life 3 yrs
Payback Period 0.0 yrs
ROI (life-of-project) 0.0%
NPV £438,106
ROIU (yr 1) 0.0%
Cumulative Return (£)
YearCumulative (£)
Yr 1 £157,407
Yr 2 £303,155
Yr 3 £438,106
Committee Decision
Current status: Pending