How to use G-Cloud 13
G-Cloud 13 went live on 9 November, after a slight delay. The latest iteration replaces
G-Cloud 12, provides cloud computer services to the public sector and lists 5,006 suppliers
According to Crown Commercial Service (CCS), the delay was because they were working to make their agreements easier to use and provide a better experience for their customers. Following user testing, feedback and insight was provided that needed to be examined further before the launch of G-Cloud 13.
G-Cloud 13 offers public sector organisations a straightforward and compliant way to purchase cloud-based services, including hosting, software and support.
For G-Cloud 13, more than 90 per cent of the suppliers on the framework are small and medium-sized enterprises and 72 per cent are micro and small organisations.
Philip Orumwense, commercial director and chief procurement officer for technology at CCS, said: “G-Cloud has been a huge success and is popular due to the high SME inclusion and the ease with which services can be bought by customers.
“The latest iteration of the agreement will offer improved terms and conditions for customers, a wider range of competition across cloud professional support services and access to increased innovation and ideas, using state of the art technologies.”
Scope
The framework covers buying cloud-based computing services including hosting, software and cloud support, with many off-the-shelf, pay-as-you-go cloud solutions included. The new framework will continue to provide cloud hosting and software services, as well as associated support services to the UK central government departments and all other public sector bodies, including the NHS. The framework will run from 9 November 2022 until 8 November 2023.
Prior to the launch of G-Cloud 13, CCS ran supplier and customer surveys, and held a supplier event and 1-to-1 supplier interviews in order to understand the needs related to buying, consuming and implementing cloud storage. In December 2021, an RFI was published to Lot 3 suppliers to gather feedback on Lot 4.
As an updated framework, there are changes compared to previous iterations. Compared to previous versions, G-Cloud 13 introduces a fourth lot for further competition for cloud support services for larger, more complex requirements. The call-off term across the agreement has also changed to 36 months with an optional 12-month extension.
These changes also include improved terms and conditions, with greater inclusion for the provision of day rate cloud support services and inclusion of the latest procurement policies, including social value and prompt payment.
Lots
Lot 1 includes Cloud Hosting (PaaS, IaaS) and covers cloud platform or infrastructure, which enables buyers to deploy, manage and run software, and provision and use processing, storage or networking resources. Services covered by this lot include: archiving, backup and disaster recovery; compute and application hosting; container service; content delivery network; database; NoSQL database; relational database; data warehousing; load balancing; logging and analysis; message queuing and processing; networking (including Network as a Service); Platform as a Service (PaaS); infrastructure and platform security; distributed denial of service attack (DDOS) protection; firewall; intrusion detection; protective monitoring; search; storage; block storage; and object storage.
Lot 2 is Cloud Software (SaaS) and includes applications which are accessed over the internet and hosted in the cloud. Services covered by this lot include: accounting and finance; analytics and business intelligence; application security; collaborative working; creative, design and publishing; customer relationship management (CRM); electronic document and records management (EDRM); healthcare; human resources and employee management; information and communication technology (ICT); legal and enforcement; marketing; operations management; project management and planning; sales; schools, education and libraries; software development tools; transport and logistics.
Lot 3 covers Cloud Support to help set up and maintain cloud software or hosting services. Services covered under this lot include ongoing support; planning; quality assurance and performance testing; setup and migration; security services and training.
Lot 4 is an addition to the framework and is for further competition for Cloud Support. The scope is the same as that of Lot 3, but is designed for larger and more complex requirements which are procured through further competition.
Information for buyers
Buyers can use the Digital Marketplace to buy cloud services through the G-Cloud framework.
All public sector organisations, including agencies and arm’s length bodies, can use the Digital Marketplace. Buyers can check the customer unique reference number (URN) list to see if their organisation is eligible to buy using the framework.
All the suppliers have already confirmed information about their company and the way they work and added information about the services that they offer. However, the financial position of suppliers isn’t checked when they apply to the framework.
Before starting to look for services on the digital marketplace, buyers are advised to write a list of requirements to help them decide which search category, keywords and filters to use. When writing requirements, buyers should consider the funds available to buy the service, the technical and procurement requirements of the project and the criteria on which the choice will be based.
Buyers should also check if they need approval to spend money on a service.
Buyers are also urged to keep an audit trail, as a record of what has been done when procuring services. If a contract is awarded through the G-Cloud framework, you must be able to show that the assessment of services was fair and transparent.
Search
When doing a search, buyers can download a copy of the category, keywords and filters used, the services found and the date results were exported. This information can then be added to the audit trail. Records should also be kept on communications with suppliers, including any early market engagement, clarification questions, emails and face-to-face conversations you have.
The digital marketplace can be used to search for cloud services that meet your needs. You can choose a category and then search for services using keywords and filters. The search can be saved so the results can be exported later. Saved search results can be found by logging into your account.
Export your search results to keep a record of the services found. You cannot edit your search again after exporting your results, so you should only do this when you are in a position to start assessing services.
Results can be exported as a spreadsheet or comma-separated values (CSV). Both sets of results include service names, descriptions and prices; links to service description pages on the Digital Marketplace; and supplier names and contact details.
Assessment
When you search for services on the Digital Marketplace, you must assess all the services in your search results and the assessment must be as fair and transparent as possible.
You must not combine the results of more than one search to create a shortlist. You also cannot hold a competition to decide the winner, ask suppliers to tender, bid or submit proposals or unfairly exclude any services without referring back to your requirements.
You can contact suppliers to ask them to explain their service description, terms and conditions, pricing or service definition documents. However, you must not negotiate with suppliers about the details of their service. If something is not mentioned in a supplier’s service description, you cannot ask a question about it. You should always keep a record of any conversations you have with suppliers for your audit trail.
There is guidance available for assessing services and you should choose the service that best meets your budget and requirements.
When choosing the winning service, you should consider: whole life cost, technical merit and functional fit, after-sales service management and non-functional characteristics.
Your final choice should be based on best fit, and not on ruling out suppliers that don’t meet your current contract or an ideal set of terms.
Awarding a contract
When you have chosen a service, you can award a contract to the supplier. If only one service meets your requirements, you can award a contract to that supplier and you don’t need to do anything else. If none of the services in your search results meet your requirements, a new search is needed. If a contract is not awarded, you should still let CCS know the outcome of your search.
The buyer and supplier must both sign a copy of the contract before the service can be used. The contract can then be downloaded.
The maximum length of a G-Cloud contract is normally 24 months. After the 24 months has passed, a new search will be required.
If you have the right approvals, in some cases you may be able to extend your contract. Contracts can be extended by one year and then another year.
Central government organisations can only extend a contract if the spend controls team gives approval or if the supplier gives an ‘additional exit plan’ to approve at least eight months before the end of the contract.
Benefits
G-Cloud 13 boasts many benefits, including access to over 40,000 services and over 5,000 suppliers, with a quick and easy route to market. The services are scalable, meaning you only pay for what you use. Using G-Cloud 13 means reduced costs and reduced total cost of ownership compared to running your own service in house. G-Cloud 13 also provides access to the latest technology and innovation.
CCS Agreements
In an attempt to make CCS agreements easier to use and enable a better experience for customers, G-Cloud 13 will be accessible through a new digital Contract Award Service (CAS). CAS will support future iterations of G-Cloud in an agile manner, as well as eventually digitally enabling all CCS agreements. The intention behind the digital enablement is to provide a full end-to-end digital procurement experience to buyers and suppliers.
CCS has also negotiated a set of Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to enhance commercial value across cloud suppliers and services which can be procured through G-Cloud 13. More information can be found on the MoU page.
To find out more about G-Cloud 13, visit the framework page or join a customer webinar.
You can contact CCS for any questions about buying through the framework or to request access to an MoU’s pricing model.
