G-Cloud suppliers send letter of advice to Government

Skyscape Cloud Services has joined forces with 13 other G-Cloud suppliers to send Tony Singleton, COO of the Government Digital Service (GDS), a letter outlining recommendations about how to improve the next iteration of the cloud procurement framework.

The letter was originally sent on 9 January but the content has only now been made public, and outlines what the 14 suppliers and Westminster City Council believe to be the six areas most in need of improvement.

Simon Hansford, CTO of Skyscape, told attendees at a round table event in London today that if the recommendations were followed spending through the framework “could be accelerated significantly”.

“We believe...as a collective...that we really have only scratched the surface and by engaging with GDS and by engaging with GPS (Government Procurement Service), as partners, as buyers and other interested parties in the industry, that we can help accelerate the adoption [of cloud],” Hansford said.

The first suggestion made in the letter is to simplify requirements and improve G-Cloud literacy, particularly with regard to increasing the level of understanding of how to buy from CloudStore, the G-Cloud’s shop front procurement portal.

The second calls for an extension to the call-off contract term to a maximum of three years, as opposed to the current two.

Thirdly, the group recommends providing guidance regarding changes to the Government Security Classification Policy before G-Cloud 5's procurement round is expected to commence in February, saying there is a “high level of confusion about how the new GPMS (Government Security Classification Policy) will map onto any G5 services which carry a [Pan Government Accreditation] accreditation under the current system”.

The group also wants greater transparency around G-Cloud transactions including the publication of an opportunity pipeline so suppliers can see who is planning to buy and when. The rationale being that suppliers will be informed if they have been long listed and, if they fail to make the shortlist, why.

The fifth recommendation is to improve the CloudStore by following the lead of online consumer retailers by offering recommendations based on services previously purchased or things commonly bought together.

Finally, the group has hit out at alleged ‘cloudwashing’, claiming companies offering no cloud services have been allowed onto the framework. The signatories of the letter urge the GDS, which oversees the G-Cloud project, to review what suppliers have on offer and remove those that do not offer cloud services “to protect the integrity of the CloudStore”.

Nicky Stewart, commercial director of Skyscape, claimed the letter had been very well received by Singleton, who said that it "could not have come at a better time".

In a statement to Cloud Pro, a Cabinet Office spokesperson said all feedback on G-Cloud is welcome.

"Much remains to be done to embed G-Cloud so that organisations across the public sector – and ultimately the taxpayer – benefit from access to the most innovative, cost-effective solutions offered by the widest range of suppliers," the spokesperson said.

“We are always looking for feedback from suppliers and customers, both positive and negative, and we continue to make improvements to G-Cloud and CloudStore with each new iteration of the framework.”

G-Cloud was launched in February 2012 and since then has seen sales totalling £77.7 million transacted through the framework.