Suppliers will be able to apply to offer their services through G-Cloud 9 (G9) in March 2017 and we expect that G9 services will be available to buy on the Digital Marketplace in May.
To give interested suppliers a chance to plan their applications, we’re sharing the provisional timetable of G9 dates now. These dates may change slightly.
The timetable
| Date | Activity |
| 07.03.17 | G-Cloud 9 is open for applications |
| 07.03.17 | Clarification period starts |
| 28.03.17 | Clarification period closes at 5pm (BST) |
| 04.04.17 | 5pm (BST) deadline for publishing answers to supplier questions |
| 11.04.17 | 5pm (BST) application deadline |
| 08.05.17 | Suppliers are told the result of their application ('intention to award') |
| 09.05.17 | 10-day standstill period begins |
| 18.05.17 | 10-day standstill period ends 11.59pm (BST) |
| 22.05.17 | We expect G9 services to be available in the Digital Marketplace |
All existing G-Cloud suppliers need to apply to G9
When G9 services go live on the Digital Marketplace, all G-Cloud 7 and G-Cloud 8 services will be removed. All existing suppliers who want to continue offering G-Cloud services need to apply to G9.
How the G-Cloud application process will be changing
To apply, a supplier needs to give information about their:
- company, by making a ‘supplier declaration’
- services, by answering a set of questions about them
If you’ve completed a supplier declaration on the Digital Marketplace in an earlier application, you’ll now be able to reuse and review those answers for your G9 application.
In our blog about our G9 alpha, we said we’d investigate how we can help suppliers describe their services more clearly. We hope that by doing this it will be easier for buyers to find what they need. We’re doing user research to understand how different users think about cloud technology and this is helping us define a new list of questions for suppliers. The new questions are designed to collect information from suppliers in a way that enables buyers to:
- get more useful search results
- compare services more easily
- make more informed decisions
We’ll share this new list of questions before applications open to help suppliers prepare, and we’ll talk more about this in a blog very soon.
Starting a G9 application
Although you won’t be able to start your online application until March, you can create a Digital Marketplace account now. We’ll let everyone with an account know when they can start their application.
30 comments
Comment by I McIntyre posted on
with the sentence "When G9 services go live on the Digital Marketplace, all G-Cloud 7 and G-Cloud 8 services will be removed", it's suggested GCloud 9 will be the first Framework that does not co-exist with a previous iteration. Is that correct and if so, what is the strategic rationale for that decision?
Comment by Laura Flannery posted on
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your comment. We'll be sharing more information on this in a blog very soon.
Thanks,
Laura
Comment by Gaurav posted on
Hello,
Is it possible to know whether Cyber Essentials will be a mandatory requirement to apply for G-Cloud 9?
Comment by Laura Flannery posted on
Hi Gaurav,
Cyber Essentials is not a mandatory requirement for G9 but you will be asked if you are certified.
Thanks,
Laura
Comment by Mrs F posted on
Planning ahead...do you have any further information on the query made I McIntyre 20/1 relating to "When G9 services go live on the Digital Marketplace, all G-Cloud 7 and G-Cloud 8 services will be removed", It's suggested GCloud 9 will be the first Framework that does not co-exist with a previous iteration. Is that correct and if so, what is the strategic rationale for that decision?" I am particularly interested in understanding (as a G-Cloud 8 supplier) if we definitely do need to apply for G-Cloud 9. If so, how easily and quickly can we migrate existing information over. Thanks
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
As applications for G-Cloud 9 are open, we can only communicate with suppliers through the clarification process. You can ask clarification questions until 5pm BST, 28 March 2017 on the G-Cloud 9 updates page in your Digital Marketplace account:
https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/suppliers/frameworks/g-cloud-9/updates
Comment by Andy Evans posted on
Hello. I'm concerned about the time and effort required to complete Gcloud9 given that we spent a lot of time completing Gcloud8 last year. Why is the process being made an annual one rather than bi-annual? Also, how long will Gcloud8 last as we always onboard clients for 2 years, and reducing it to 1 will make it very challenging. Thanks
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
Hi Andy,
We have decided that G-Cloud 9 (G9) will replace G-Cloud 7 (G7) and G-Cloud 8 (G8). This means we will have consistent information about all services to bring more of the G-Cloud buying journey online. Buyers and suppliers will be able to use one set of contracts for all their G-Cloud services.
For suppliers, this means that they must apply for G9 to continue selling their G-Cloud services on the Digital Marketplace. We’ll be removing G7 and G8 services from the Digital Marketplace when G9 services go live on 22 May 2017.
Frameworks are usually refreshed every 9-12 months. Subscribe to our blog posts to keep updated.
Comment by Justin List posted on
There were rumours of increasing the 2 year limit on G-cloud to 3 years. Is this in G-cloud 9?
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
Hi Justin, please submit this question about G-Cloud 9 through your Digital Marketplace account before 5pm BST on 28 March 2017.
Comment by Epsit (CSDC) posted on
Do suppliers need to create new Digital Marketplace accounts or can the existing ones be used?
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
Your existing account can be used.
Comment by Mike posted on
We are on Gloud 7 is there anyway the process to GCloud 9 can be streamlined?
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
Hi Mike,
If a supplier has completed a G-Cloud 8 or Digital Outcomes and Specialists’ supplier declaration on the Digital Marketplace in an earlier application, they’ll be able to reuse and review those answers for their G-Cloud 9 application.
We have decided that G-Cloud 9 (G9) will replace G-Cloud 7 (G7) and G-Cloud 8 (G8). This means we will have consistent information about all services to bring more of the G-Cloud buying journey online. Buyers and suppliers will be able to use one set of contracts for all their G-Cloud services.
For suppliers, this means that they must apply for G9 to continue selling their G-Cloud services on the Digital Marketplace. We’ll be removing G7 and G8 services from the Digital Marketplace when G9 services go live.
Comment by Gurjiv Khehra posted on
Hi CCS,
You appear to have sent a little panic across some parts of the public sector with this announcement, so let me clarify if I may:
I presume you mean that any Public Sector Body that has already agreed G-Cloud 7 and G-Cloud 8 Call-Off Agreements and Call-Off Contracts respectively, these will survive their respective Framework Agreements to the extent of their individual expiry dates. This announcement only affects awards that take place on or after the date the G-Cloud 9 Framework Agreement goes live, in which case all Call-Off Contracts awarded will fall under the G-Cloud 9 Framework Agreement by definition as the sole remaining Framework Agreement under G-Cloud.
Regards
Gurjiv Khehra
Contractsonline Ltd
http://www.contractsonline.co.uk
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
Hi Gurjiv, that is correct.
Comment by Peter Chatwin-Parr posted on
Hello,
You mention in the timetable above that G-Cloud 9 will be open from today. With this in mind can you let me know if this is still on track as I fail to see where we can begin to undertake our application.
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
Hi Peter, G-Cloud 9 is now open for applications. Apply here: https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/
Comment by Laura posted on
Do you need a new Digital Marketplace account if you already have one for the Digital Outcome and Specialists framework?
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
You can use the same supplier account for Digital Outcomes and Specialists and G-Cloud frameworks on the Digital Marketplace.
Comment by Clio posted on
Hi,
Have G-Cloud 9 applications opened today?
Regards,
Clio
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
Hi Clio, yes, G-Cloud 9 is now open for applications https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/
Comment by Richard posted on
Is G-Cloud 9 now open for applications as per the timetable above?
Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on
Hi Richard, yes, G-Cloud 9 is now open for applications https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/
Comment by Adam posted on
What are the commercials and costing around GCloud 9?
Thanks
Comment by Lucy Denton posted on
As applications for G-Cloud 9 are open, we can only communicate with suppliers through the clarification process. You can ask clarification questions until 5pm BST, 28 March 2017 on the G-Cloud 9 updates page in your Digital Marketplace account:
https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/suppliers/frameworks/g-cloud-9/updates
Comment by Chris Williams posted on
You said on 9/3/17 that it is usual to 'refresh' Frameworks every 9-12 months - does that mean that the answers to previous versions (7 in our case) can be uploaded in one go for us to edit/refresh - if so how do we do that?
Or by refresh do you mean start all over again answering every question from scratch ?
Comment by Lucy Denton posted on
As applications for G-Cloud 9 are open, we can only communicate with suppliers through the clarification process. You can ask clarification questions until 5pm BST, 28 March 2017 on the G-Cloud 9 updates page in your Digital Marketplace account:
https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/suppliers/frameworks/g-cloud-9/updates
Comment by Jaci Hale posted on
Can you explain in detail how I can access the questionnaires that our Company completed for G-Cloud 8. As everyone will appreciate it takes a lot of work to complete an application answering questions that were only asked last year.
Comment by Lucy Denton posted on
As applications for G-Cloud 9 are open, we can only communicate with suppliers through the clarification process. You can ask clarification questions until 5pm BST, 28 March 2017 on the G-Cloud 9 updates page in your Digital Marketplace account:
https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/suppliers/frameworks/g-cloud-9/updates