The upcoming G‑Cloud 15 framework marks a major shift in UK public-sector digital procurement and it's good news for SMEs.
This is not just another iteration — it’s the first version to launch after the Procurement Act 2023 which is a major regulatory change, and that fact alone makes it fundamentally different from previous versions.
Before diving into what’s changed and why that matters, let’s revisit what frameworks are and why this matters for you.
A public-sector framework agreement is a pre-arranged contract platform that enables public bodies to procure goods and services from a vetted and pre-qualified set of suppliers without running a full tender each time. The benefits for the buyer include a compliant, cost-effective, and low-risk procurement route. For the supplier, being on a framework opens a door into public-sector sales: you are pre-qualified, listed, and visible to contracting authorities who can call off your services.
Being on a framework is effectively the same as having a product for sale in Tesco (the framework), as opposed to trying to sell a product to people in the car park of Tesco! (off framework) - The store provides assurance, credibility, lowers risk for the buyer, ensures a baseline level of good quality and value etc. Outside of the store however, ANYTHING could happen, which is why off-framework competitive tenders are extremely long-winded, competitive, and more often than not, entirely price-driven.
Through the years the G-Cloud framework has allowed government, NHS, local authorities and other public bodies to buy cloud hosting, software and support far more quickly than through traditional tender routes, and from a much wider selection of suppliers. But as many suppliers will attest—it’s one thing to get on a framework, quite another to win business from it.
When G-Cloud 1 launched back in 2012 it aligned with the Government’s “cloud-first” policy: moving away from paper, legacy systems and standalone servers toward hosting, software and support delivered via cloud. The first iteration lasted just six months as a pilot. Over subsequent versions the term stretched to one year, then 18 months, then two years, and so on.
As the framework matured and widened its scope, thousands of suppliers joined. Yet, despite the popularity, a surprising number never generated meaningful revenue from their listing: reports indicate that around 11–12% of the suppliers on past iterations ever made a single sale.
That’s a stark statistic: imagine investing all that application effort and being included in a government procurement catalogue only for the majority of your peers never to transact.
With G-Cloud 15, being the first framework let under the Procurement Act 2023, the procurement landscape changes significantly. The Act introduces tougher transparency, compliance and procurement obligations for both buyers and suppliers — and G-Cloud 15 is designed to reflect that.
Some of the key changes include:
In short: there will be fewer suppliers this time—but those listed should be more likely to transact.
The lot structure for G-Cloud 15 (as publicly previewed) is as follows:
This structure means suppliers will need to align their service model more precisely: if you’re in hosting you’re clearly within Lot 1; if you’re a pure SaaS vendor you’re in Lot 2 with sub-lots differentiating service type; if you’re providing support, consultancy, migration services you’re in Lot 3. The removal or consolidation of older lot variants means the marketplace becomes sharper and more competitive—but also more transparent.
For public-sector buyers, frameworks such as G-Cloud are incredibly valuable. They allow organisations to purchase pre-qualified services from trusted suppliers without repeating full tendering processes each time: saving time, cost and procurement overhead. The buyer benefits from a catalogue of suppliers who have been vetted, meet baseline compliance standards, and are visible via the procurement platform.
For suppliers, being on the framework gives you access to buyer audiences that might otherwise be hard to reach. It adds credibility, provides a procurement route, and can become a channel of revenue growth if managed well. But—and this is critical—it’s not enough just to “get on” the framework. Listing is simply a license to participate; winning business requires knowledge, experience, and a proactive strategy that is proven to work. Knowing your target buyers' behaviour, aligning your service definition(s) and pricing, marketing to the relevant people at the right stage in the process, and understanding mini-competition/”call-off” processes, is crucial.
Because of past iterations’ high volume of suppliers and low transactional rates, getting listed wasn’t the full story. With G-Cloud 15, the intent is very much the opposite: list fewer, stronger suppliers and therefore increase the odds of business actually flowing. That means if you prepare well you can benefit from reduced competition and higher visibility.
While G-Cloud is the flagship cloud framework, it sits outside a broader ecosystem of IT and technology public-sector frameworks. G Cloud is a marketplace, a bit like Amazon, in fact, it literally lives in an ecosystem that the procurement body running it (CCS, Crown Commercial Service) calls 'The Digital Marketplace'.
There are other frameworks covering telecommunications, network connectivity, digital transformation, consultancy services, IT managed services, hardware & software (both off-the-shelf and bespoke/configurable) and many more. These frameworks offer alternative and complementary routes to market, especially for suppliers whose solutions don’t strictly fall into the cloud hosting / software / support categories. It has to be this way because of the sheer, almost unimaginable volume of 'stuff' the government buys on a daily basis. But the broader the procurement landscape you engage with, the more routes you have into public-sector spending. Again, think of it as having a product for sale not just in Tesco, but also Argos, Amazon, B&Q etc (provided it's relevent of course!).
G-Cloud 15 represents a step-change. It’s a platform shaped by the Procurement Act 2023, intended to reduce the listing-only syndrome of previous iterations and drive genuine public-sector buying. If your business is focused on cloud hosting, software or support services, the opportunity is meaningful—but so is the competition, and the application bar is higher.
If you’re ready to not just participate, but to win – to convert your framework place into live, revenue-generating contracts – then the right support matters.
That’s where Crown Partners come in. Unlike most consultancies whose job ends when you are listed, we help you win business from your framework listing, translating access into contracts. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you secure your place on G-Cloud 15 (and/or other relevant framework opportunities) and exploit it fully to drive growth.
p.s. Feel free to request access to our knowledge hub which contains more detailed information on public sector. The link is at the bottom of this page ("Back To Hub")