The site, called CloudStore, received bids for access from 300 suppliers offering a total of 1,700 services, some of which are currently being examined and accredited. Around 50 per cent of suppliers on the framework are small and medium-sized enterprises.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said: “Using cloud solutions that have already been secured and accredited will almost always be less expensive, and we will only pay for what we use. We will also know from the outset the cost of the product and, importantly, the cost of exit from contracts that will be no longer than 12 months.”
He added that “by creating a competitive marketplace, the G-Cloud framework will constantly encourage service providers to improve the quality and value of the solutions they offer, reducing the cost to taxpayers and suppliers. And it gives SME suppliers of niche products the same opportunities as bigger organisations.”
The framework will be re-opened in the spring to allow applications from suppliers with services not currently available on CloudStore.
Find out more about the government’s IT strategy.