G-Cloud 15: How the changes benefit public sector buyers

Here, the Government Commercial Agency in the UK analyses  the benefits of the G-Cloud 15 changes for public sector buyers

G-Cloud 15 is now live for public sector buyers to use, marking the most significant upgrade to the UK’s public sector cloud procurement framework since its inception in 2012.

It is the first G-Cloud agreement to be launched since the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) was formed on 1st April 2026. It is also the first iteration of the framework to benefit from the new rules introduced under the new Procurement Act 2023 (PA23).

G-Cloud continues to be a great public sector success. It encourages innovation, drives economic growth and improves services for UK citizens, by providing an agile marketplace for cloud hosting, software, and support services that connects public sector buyers with suppliers.

The new agreement continues to build on this success but will provide significant improvements aimed at making procurement through G-Cloud considerably simpler, faster and better for public sector buyers.

Simpler

Consolidating three agreements into one

It will combine three existing GCA commercial agreements into one framework:

• G-Cloud 14, Lots 1-3.
• G-Cloud 14, Lot 4.
• Cloud Compute 2.

This creates one simple route to market for a wider range of services than G-Cloud has ever offered before, helping buyers easily find the right agreement for their needs in one place.

Easier access to small and medium-sized enterprises

G-Cloud continues to be an agreement that supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), giving buyers access to a diverse supplier base.

Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 001 requires government departments, executive agencies and non-governmental public bodies to set targets for and to measure SME spend. G-Cloud makes it easier for them to engage and contract with these innovative suppliers to help meet those targets.

Faster

Full supplier evaluation

G-Cloud 15 features the most comprehensive supplier evaluation to date, assessing every supplier against quality, technical capability and price.

This means public sector buyers can call off services with greater assurance about the capability of their chosen suppliers and save time spent conducting lengthy individual assessments.

New industry-aligned classification

This new iteration of G-Cloud implements a new structured system for naming, describing, and classifying its services.

This new taxonomy, which aligns with wider industry standards and replaces the existing classifications used since G-Cloud’s inception, makes it quicker and more efficient for buyers to find the exact products and services they need and the suppliers that can provide them.

Better

Procurements with and without competition

All Lots of G-Cloud 15 have been set up so you can either award without competition or run a competitive procurement.

This gives all buyers the flexibility to choose how to run their procurement and ensure they get the best outcome.

Longer call-off contracts

The duration of the agreement has been extended to four years, and the maximum duration of call-off contracts has also been extended. This allows public sector organisations to more easily secure their future services and create long-term partnerships with suppliers.

• Lots 1a and 1b: Up to five years, with up to three years additional extension.
• Lots 2a, 2b and 3: Up to four years, with up to two years extension

Find out more

To start your buying journey with G-Cloud, visit the agreement webpage

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