Following on from our previous Tips'n Tricks blog we wanted to share a few extra that you might find useful prior to the tender submission deadline (next Monday 23 September). If you've already submitted and you want to change something, don't worry, you can still edit your services by clicking 'edit' next to the service you would like to amend in the Service Submission Portal. Remember that you'll then need to re-submit any services you've updated.
Tips & Tricks Part 2
- Have you read the ITT guidance documentation carefully? Are you submitting services that comply with the definitions and under the correct LOT? If you’re not sure, read through Attachments 2 and 4 of the ITT documentation pack, help buttons in the Service Submission Portal, and the final clarification question responses. You can also check the additional guidance available on the G-cloud Definitions page.
- Within each service, make sure that you have service names and descriptions that are functional and descriptive as these are the fields a buyer will see first and act as your ‘front window’ in the CloudStore. Remember to ensure the contact details you provide are for people who can respond to sales enquiries and not the Chief Executive!
- Your offerings are fixed at the point of tender, so make sure you have described your service functionality in a clear and easy to read format. Ensure that your pricing models are appropriate for all types of your likely buyers (short & long term, high & low volume) rather than one-size-fits-all. Be clear, competitive and transparent, to make it as easy as possible for buyers to understand what you offer and how it’s priced.
- The Service Definition Document should set out a much more detailed proposition for buyers. Section S1-2 on page 15 of Attachment 4 of the ITT documentation sets out the headings for the Service Definition that should be covered as a minimum. Helps buyers by making it as easy as possible to find the details – do they have all the information they need to short-list your service without having to ask for it?
- New to G-Cloud 4 is the Pricing Document. Buyers have asked for a single place to find pricing information. You can leave this in your Service Definition Document if it helps, but you'll also need to separate this out into the Pricing Document and use it to highlight all your different pricing options, including volume discounts, special combination prices, and sector specific prices, e.g. Education. You can also provide examples of your common configurations and how buyers could use this information to help them estimate their likely costs for a service.
- Don’t forget that the ‘price’ field of the SSP should reflect the most common rate or unit price. All other rates and units must be declared in your pricing document, and your published price on the CloudStore must also be reflected in this document. Putting ‘£0.00’ as the price when it's not free could lead to your service failing Assurance. We've put together additional guidance on Assurance to help.
If you have any issues with the Service Submission Portal, then don't hesitate to get in touch at enquiries@gcloud.cabinet-office.gov.uk.
G-Cloud Team
1 comment
Comment by One week to go – a few extra tips on submitting for G-Cloud 4 – G-Cloud | Public Sector Blogs posted on
[...] Original source – G-Cloud Share: [...]