UK puts £14B cloud framework in place with SMEs promised a bigger slice
Global players dominate the market. Will public sector buyers give local suppliers a look-in?
The British government has launched the G-Cloud 15 procurement framework, committing to purchase an estimated £14 billion ($18.9 billion) in cloud services over four years. This is the most significant upgrade to the UK's public sector cloud procurement system in over a decade. The majority of the suppliers awarded places on the framework are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, a spot on the framework does not guarantee business.
G-Cloud 15, overseen by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA), consolidates three previous frameworks into a single marketplace, aiming to simplify the process for public sector buyers seeking cloud hosting, software, and support. The GCA estimates that £3 billion ($4 billion) in public sector cloud spending will pass through the framework annually.
Key features of G-Cloud 15 include a modernized classification system designed to help suppliers, particularly smaller firms, accurately describe their services and appear in relevant searches. This change aims to lower barriers and expand opportunities for smaller suppliers in the UK's cloud infrastructure services market, which is currently dominated by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
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