Channel firms begin G-Cloud countdown

SCC and Trustmarque hail new framework as government sifts through initial tender responses

Channel players have lent their backing to the format of G-Cloud as government bods begin sifting through the initial bids for the £60m framework.

Some 300 firms are understood to have tendered for the framework, which is designed to allow public sector organisations to purchase cloud-based services on demand.

Bidders have been told the final selection process will begin in the spring.

SCC this week revealed it is vying to punt a variety of cloud solutions through the framework from its UK datacentre.

SCC's director of public sector business Tracy Westall argued G-Cloud could "help to put an end to the age of overpriced and under-performing government IT projects".

"G-Cloud is a concerted effort to bring an end to that situation and, like many across the industry, we are delighted to be enabling the kind of technology initiatives that will help the government deliver services faster, better and cheaper," she said.

Services procured through G-Cloud would be offered on contracts as short as 30 days, SCC said.

Angelo Di Ventura, group sales and marketing director at Trustmarque, which is also bidding, welcomed the government's intent to make G-Cloud more open and fluid than previous frameworks.

"The Government Procurement Services team has recognised that having more suppliers and more competition is the way to go," he said.

"It used to be a closed shop with Catalist and before that GCat. But this will be quite fluid, where every six to 12 months they open a gate to let people in or out."