New Digital Marketplace opens for business
Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude launched the Marketplace, which makes it easier for government to do business with all IT providers.
Francis Maude tries out the Digital Marketplace service.
A new Digital Marketplace that helps the public sector buy IT services from a wide range of suppliers has been launched today, with Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude demonstrating how easy it is to use the platform.
Access the Digital Marketplace to find digital services for the public sector.
The Marketplace provides a new single place for the public sector to access and buy IT commodities and services – such as site analytics and hosting services – from G-Cloud. It has replaced the current CloudStore and will be the single store for buyers for the second iteration for the Digital Services framework when it launches in the new year.
The simple design of the new Digital Marketplace makes it easier for buyers to find what they need when they need it. It has been built using an agile, user-centric design approach, meaning that it can be continually adapted and improved based on users’ feedback.
Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude officially launched the Marketplace today and also tried out the service for himself. The Minister said:
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.
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.
Executive Director of GDS Mike Bracken said:
We are developing a whole new of way of buying digital. Modern services need to be continually iterated and improved to meet users’ needs. And 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.
Today’s launch forms part of the government’s drive to create a more open and competitive market that gives the public sector access to the best technology and digital services available. Frameworks such as G-Cloud and Digital Services mean that government can buy what it needs from a wide range of quality suppliers at the right price. The fifth iteration of the G- framework has 1,517 suppliers and over 16,000 services – 88% of these suppliers are SMEs. Total spend has now reached £314 million through the framework, with 53% going to SMEs.
Notes to editors
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G-Cloud allows anyone in the public sector to buy off the shelf cloud-based services on a pay as you go basis. The framework covers infrastructure, platform, software and support services. Digital Marketplace will be the new home to find and buy cloud-based services.
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The Digital Services framework launched in November 2013 and provides all of the public sector with easy access to a diverse range of suppliers of all sizes who have the right digital capabilities, behaviours and mindsets to help the UK government deliver its digital strategy. The framework was previously accessed through the Digital Services Store.