Dell lands $9.7 billion Pentagon deal months after Trump-linked donation

Dell has secured a deal worth roughly $9.7 billion from the US Department of War, according to a report by CNBC. This is part of a five-year technology agreement linked to military software and cloud services.

The deal is drawing attention, given that it comes just a few months after company founder Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, committed around $6.25 billion towards “Trump accounts” for children in the US.

At the time, Michael Dell said, “We've seen what happens when a child gets even a small financial head start — their world expands.”


The Dell-Pentagon deal: Details

The programme, called the Department of War Enterprise Software Agreement II Core Enterprise Technology Agreement, will allow Dell Federal Systems to provide Microsoft 365 software, advanced cloud subscriptions and on-premises licensing support across the US military network.

Pentagon officials said Dell won the contract after a competitive bidding process, the report said.

“The vendors were all evaluated based on competition, comparison to GSA schedule pricing and overall chain of value to the department,” acting Navy chief information officer Barry Tanner said. “Going through the process of evaluation, they came out on top.”

The agreement is expected to simplify software licensing across the Pentagon, the intelligence community and the US Coast Guard. Officials believe the move could save around $422 million every year by reducing duplication and bringing separate IT budgets together.

As noted by CNBC, President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Dell in public. During a White House event earlier this month, Trump told Americans to “go out and buy a Dell” while thanking the Dell family for their contribution.

Dell has also openly backed Trump, congratulating him on his 2024 election victory and later joining the president’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

The Pentagon contract arrives as the Department of War has been making and breaking deals with major tech companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, among others.