Is G-Cloud fit for purpose?

What else can the government do to accelerate the digitisation of public services and improve its G-Cloud offering?

From our recent analysis of the government’s procurement approach (Taking the brakes off: How SMEs can be unleashed to drive the rapid digitisation of the public sector), we shared our criticisms of the numerous framework agreements that have been established in recent years to make it easier for businesses to bid for government contracts.

The UK public sector currently spends in excess of £200 billion on procuring goods and services from third parties every year, but despite its efforts, a disproportionate amount of this is still spent with the same large outsourcers. The government has committed to spending 33 per cent of public sector procurement directly with SMEs by 2022, and has launched numerous framework agreements to support this aim. The government can also be applauded for creating the Government Digital Service (GDS) – the Cabinet Office ‘centre of excellence’ which aims to drive the digital transformation of government across all departments.

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