Digital Marketplace Officially Opened By Francis Maude

The new Digital Marketplace, an amalgamation of government procurement frameworks including Digital Services and G-Cloud, is now open for business.

It was launched today by Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, who demonstrated how to use the website at the launch.

The Marketplace is intended to become a new single place for the public sector to access and buy IT commodities and services, including those available via G-Cloud.

The CloudStore has already been replaced, and the Digital Services framework is set to join the new store in its second iteration launched in the new year.

The government claims the Digital Marketplace makes it easier for buyers to locate and buy what they need.

It adds that it will be continually adapted based on user feedback and has been built using an agile, user-centric approach.

“As part of our long-term plan, this government has been levelling the playing field and opening up digital procurement to the widest range of suppliers including SMEs,” claimed Maude.

“We know that the range of frameworks and stores can be confusing. That’s why the new Digital Marketplace, which makes it clearer, simpler and faster for the whole of the public sector to buy digital products and services when it needs to, is a vast improvement for both supplier and customer.

“This will ultimately lead to the delivery of better services for the public and means that we can continue to work with a range of quality suppliers of all sizes,” he added.

“Driving Costs Down, Driving Value Up”

Government Digital Service (GDS) executive director Mike Bracken has explained the intentions of his organisation while developing the new Marketplace.

“We are developing a whole new way of buying digital. Modern services need to be continually iterated and improved to users’ needs,” he claimed.

“We need a platform that allows us to flexibly commission what we need to deliver those services, drive down cost and drive up value.

“The Digital Marketplace demonstrates that we can build a service that meets these needs and allows government to work with a wide range of innovative suppliers of all sizes,” he added.

The latest G-Cloud sales figures revealed that £314m has been spent through the framework, of which 53% went to SMEs.

The fifth iteration has 1517 suppliers, 88% being SMEs, and over 16,000 services are available to purchase.

For vendors who are interesting in offering services on the framework, the Think Cloud Vendors event held in London in December offers an insight into the world of government procurement.

© 24N.biz