G-Cloud is the UK government’s online catalogue for buying cloud hosting, cloud software and cloud support from pre-vetted suppliers. It enables compliant direct award once buyers follow the buyer-guide process, with typical call-off terms up to 3 years + 1-year extension. It’s the quickest, lowest-friction route to approved cloud tools.

What is G-Cloud?

G-Cloud is a Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework—currently G-Cloud 14 (RM1557.14)—that lets all public-sector organisations and charities buy cloud services from an online catalogue across three lots: Lot 1 Cloud hosting, Lot 2 Cloud software, and Lot 3 Cloud support. A separate Lot 4 supports larger/complex cloud-support buys via further competition.

Why it exists: to speed up compliant procurement, reduce cost versus bespoke tenders, and keep access to up-to-date technology via regular framework refreshes.

Why public-sector buyers use it

• Speed & direct award: You can direct award on G-Cloud after completing the CCS buyer-guide steps—no full tender—making it the fastest route to market for standard cloud services.

• Compliance & clarity: The framework sits under PCR 2015 for G-Cloud 14, with documented core terms, call-off templates and buyer guides. (G-Cloud 15 is planned under the Procurement Act 2023.)

• Pragmatic contract lengths: Initial call-offs up to 36 months with a possible 12-month extension (max 48 months) where allowed—ideal for multi-year SaaS adoption.

• Scale & choice: 46k+ services from 4k+ suppliers on G-Cloud 14.

How buying on G-Cloud works (step-by-step)

1. Define needs & must-haves using the CCS buyer guide (functional, security, data location, support, term).

2. Search and shortlist services in the Contract Award Service (CAS) via the Public Procurement Gateway (PPG).

3. Evaluate against consistent criteria (price, features, security, SLAs). CCS provides evaluation templates (longlist, shortlist, score sheets, single-price calculator).

4. Direct award to the best-fit service and issue the call-off contract using CCS core terms.

5. Record benefits & manage the contract (MI/benefits returns per CCS guidance).

For complex support (e.g., multi-phase migration), buyers can use Lot 4 to run a further competition.

Where Generation Digital fits

Who we are: a G-Cloud supplier focused on safe, value-for-money adoption of AI, productivity and collaboration platforms in the UK public sector.

What we supply on G-Cloud (Lot 2 Cloud Software):

• Miro — visual collaboration, workshops and service-design.

• Notion — secure workspaces for documentation, procedures, and knowledge.

• Asana — portfolio planning, delivery governance and AI-assisted status.

• Glean — enterprise AI search & Assistants grounded in your data.

What we deliver around those tools (Lot 3 / Lot 4 Cloud Support):

• Business case & options analysis aligned to CCS buyer-guide steps.

• Security & data residency mapping (UK/EU data options, role-based access, SSO/SAML).

• Implementation & migration (pilot → scale playbooks, integration with O365/Google, identity & MDM).

• Training & adoption (admin enablement, power-user academies, accessibility-first templates).

• Governance & assurance (runbooks, audit trails, change control; call-off management to CCS templates).

Typical public-sector use-cases (AI & collaboration)

• AI-assisted delivery governance: Asana AI compiles risk-aware status updates; outputs filed to your records.

• Cross-agency workshops & service redesign: Miro boards with accessibility-checked templates and exportable artefacts.

• Single source of truth: Notion for policies, SOPs and meeting packs with granular permissions.

• Safe AI knowledge access: Glean Assistant searches across O365/Google/SharePoint/Drive with source citations and admin controls.

(We align each deployment with CCS call-off terms and information-governance needs.)

FAQs (for buyers new to G-Cloud)

Is G-Cloud the right route for SaaS like Miro/Notion/Asana/Glean?
Yes—Lot 2 Cloud software is designed for off-the-shelf cloud apps. Use the buyer-guide process and then direct award.

How long can my contract be?
Up to 36 months initially, with an optional 12-month extension if specified upfront (max 48 months).

Where do I actually buy?
Search and award in CCS’s Contract Award Service via the Public Procurement Gateway (not the old CloudStore).

When would I use Lot 4?
When you need further competition for complex multi-phase support (e.g., migration with testing/security streams).

What’s happening next with the framework?
CCS has extended G-Cloud 14 to 28 Oct 2026 while preparing G-Cloud 15 under the Procurement Act 2023.

Buyer cheat-sheet

• Route to market: CCS G-Cloud 14 (RM1557.14), Lot 2 or Lot 3.

• Contract term: Up to 36 months + 12-month extension if stated (max 48 months).

• Process: Follow CCS buyer guide → evaluate with CCS templates → direct award → call-off.

• When not to use G-Cloud: bespoke builds (use Digital Outcomes), hardware (use Technology Products), co-location (use Crown Hosting).

How we’ll help you buy and deploy

1. Discovery (2–3 weeks): confirm requirements, information-governance constraints, accessibility and data residency; draft CCS-aligned evaluation criteria.

2. Rapid pilot (4–6 weeks): configure SSO, RBAC, templates and integrations; prove value on a single team (or programme board).

3. Direct award & call-off: we support completion of the CCS buyer-guide steps, pricing confirmation and call-off documentation.

4. Scale & govern: training, playbooks, MI and benefits tracking; quarterly reviews mapped to your objectives and CCS returns.

Next Steps

Ready to procure Miro, Notion, Asana or Glean via G-Cloud—and deploy them safely? Contact Generation Digital. We’ll help you complete the CCS buyer-guide steps, raise a compliant direct award and deliver a secure, measurable rollout.