G-Cloud Framework
G-Cloud is the UK government's framework for buying cloud hosting, cloud software and cloud support. It has run since 2012 through numbered iterations; the live one is G-Cloud 14 (RM1557.14), which was extended by six months and now ends on 28 October 2026. It is managed by the Government Commercial Agency, which replaced Crown Commercial Service on 1 April 2026, and its successor G-Cloud 15 is at the award stage.
What G-Cloud is
G-Cloud is a framework agreement through which UK public sector organisations and charities buy cloud-based services. Rather than each buyer running its own procurement for a hosting platform or a SaaS licence, suppliers are admitted to the framework once, list their services with descriptions and prices, and buyers call off against those listings.
It has run since 2012 and is refreshed in numbered iterations. The framework is deliberately open in the sense that any supplier meeting the conditions can apply during an application window — there is no fixed shortlist of incumbents — which is why G-Cloud has consistently carried a large number of SMEs alongside the major cloud platforms.
The live iteration: G-Cloud 14
G-Cloud 14, reference RM1557.14, started on 29 October 2024. It was extended by a further six months and now ends on 28 October 2026.
It has three lots:
1. Cloud Hosting — infrastructure and platform services
2. Cloud Software — applications delivered as a service
3. Cloud Support — professional and consultancy services supporting cloud adoption, migration and management
Buyers can direct award on G-Cloud 14 after following the process set out in the buyer guide, which is one of the framework's main attractions: for a straightforward requirement there is no mini-competition to run.
The framework is now owned by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA), which replaced Crown Commercial Service on 1 April 2026. The reference number, terms and supplier places are unchanged; GCA has confirmed that existing frameworks and call-offs remain valid on the terms under which they were awarded.
Where buyers actually look
The old standalone Digital Marketplace is no longer the buying route. GOV.UK's guidance page "Buying and selling on the Digital Marketplace" was withdrawn on 20 November 2025 and now points readers to the G-Cloud agreement page instead. Buyers browse and call off services through GCA's own online catalogue at gca.gov.uk, selecting a lot and searching from there.
For suppliers this matters practically: your service listing on that catalogue is your shop window, and buyers filter and shortlist on the strength of the service description, the pricing document and the service definition you upload. A thin or generic listing loses competitions before anyone speaks to you.
G-Cloud 15
G-Cloud 15, reference RM1557.15, will replace G-Cloud 14. Its Find a Tender notice was published in late October 2025, applications closed on 30 January 2026, and GCA has indicated a framework award date of 6 August 2026. A contract award notice for the procurement was published on Find a Tender on 24 July 2026.
Two substantive changes are confirmed. G-Cloud 15 absorbs Cloud Compute, which had been a separate agreement, so cloud infrastructure buying consolidates into the main framework. And the lot structure is being restructured, with hosting split so that services handling information classified above OFFICIAL are dealt with separately from mainstream infrastructure.
Suppliers who missed the January 2026 application window should not expect a quick second chance. G-Cloud has historically not reopened mid-iteration, and G-Cloud 15 is expected to run considerably longer than a single year, so the next realistic entry point is the next reopening or the next iteration.
What it means for suppliers
A place is not a pipeline. G-Cloud lowers the procedural barrier to selling to the public sector; it does not create demand. The suppliers who do well have identifiable services with clear scope, honest pricing, and evidence a buyer can find without asking.
Price transparency is real. Your rate card is published. Buyers compare it against everyone else's, and against your commercial pricing elsewhere. Setting an unrealistically low headline rate to win listings tends to constrain what you can charge for the following four years.
Get the certifications in before you apply. Security accreditation requirements have tightened between iterations, with Cyber Essentials and, for infrastructure lots, Cyber Essentials Plus expected. These take time to obtain and cannot be arranged during an application window.
Watch the framework calendar. The application window is short and the gap between iterations is not. Track GCA's agreement page for RM1557.15 and its pipeline notices on Find a Tender, and be ready before the invitation to tender appears rather than after.