10 reasons why you should be on G-Cloud 10

G-Cloud 10 opens in April, here are 10 reasons why you should apply!

By now you must have heard that CCS and GDS have listened to the feedback from suppliers and the wider cloud industry and have announced G-Cloud 10 will be open for applications in April! We at Advice Cloud couldn’t be happier with the news, we love G-Cloud and the route to market it provides suppliers.

It’s no secret that we would like every eligible cloud company to apply. After all, there is revenue to be earned, so far over £2.8bn has been spent on G-Cloud and 48% went to SMEs! Here are just 10 reasons why your company should be on G-Cloud 10…

Your competitor is listed on G-Cloud

At this stage you know the drill, if your competitor is doing something it’s a safe bet that you should be doing it to! If you aren’t on the framework and they are, this gives them a huge advantage when it comes selling to gov. If you aren’t sure whether they are on the framework or not, go onto the Digital Marketplace and take a look, the information is publicly available after all. Whilst you cannot guarantee they will relist in the next iteration, it quite likely. Especially if they have been doing business, which helpfully you can also check on our G-Cloud spend dashboard. See what success they’ve had and which government departments are buying their service. This will help you to find out who to prospect and inform your own G-Cloud strategy.

Your competitor hasn’t bothered with G-Cloud

If you were hoping to capitalise on a market that your competitor is yet to venture into, it’s a great idea to apply for G-Cloud 10. With there being a limited window of application – G-Cloud 10 dates are from 18th of April till 23rd of May according to latest announcement – you would effectively have the advantage over your competitor for the whole lifetime of the framework. This would leave them waiting till the next iteration or having to use pass-through providers, skimming profit off their deals. So, a win/win situation for you!

You become government approved

You must adhere to a certain level and standards to be accepted onto G-Cloud. Being an accredited and approved G-Cloud supplier can improve your reputation and add to your credentials. You will be able to use your status as a G-Cloud supplier to reassure more cautious buyers that you have everything in place to work with them.

You already sell to the Public Sector but want to sell more!

If you are already selling you technology to the public sector, G-Cloud 10 is most definitely a framework you should be on. G-Cloud provides another, potentially faster procurement route for your buyer. With standardised terms and documents provided by CCS, buying through G-Cloud couldn’t be easier.

You currently go through a pass-through

Perhaps you wanted to get on G-Cloud mid iteration, so you conceded and used a pass-through provider…A great solution in the short term but long term it may not be the best move for your business. Using pass-through providers, whilst convenient, means your company loses money on business and the recognition you deserve for winning a contract.

You find traditional procurement routes a bit slow

Traditional procurement routes can be long and laborious. Public sector departments, bodies and agencies have many well-intentioned processes and layers of decision making which means it could be a long time from applying for a tender to getting the business. However, when using G-Cloud the only time limitation is how quickly you can fill out the call-off contract, have it co-signed and start the work!

G-Cloud also has the possibility of direct award. Meaning if a public sector buyer searches for a product or service on G-Cloud and have filtered based on their requirements and there is only a single supplier, the contract can be immediately awarded to that one supplier. Direct Award is not the case for all frameworks, but luckily its allowed-on G-Cloud. Just another reason why we love it…

Your company is an SME

G-Cloud has transformed the way the public sector buys IT and digital services by being an open and competitive marketplace, giving even more suppliers have the opportunity to work with government. The latest G-Cloud spend figures show that of the £2.8bn worth of sales through G-Cloud, 48% of that was with SME providers. Given that there aren’t many situations where being an SME has an advantage over the big guys, gov recently reiterated its commitment to spending 1 in every £3 with small to medium-sized businesses. Therefore, we can only assume that this figure is set to rise!

Your buyer told you to

This is the most compelling reason of all, if a buyer tells you to be on a framework and you want that business, you go on that framework. As mentioned, procurement within the public sector can often be slow, but by using G-Cloud you can cut the procurement time down significantly. It also means that your sales team can spend less time nurturing a deal during the formalities and more time selling.

You’ve been asked if you are on a framework…

One way to speed up the procurement process is to go via a framework. Often when prospecting, suppliers will be asked which frameworks they are on. However, not all frameworks are like G-Cloud some have an intensive and rigorous application process which means that some suppliers, especially SMEs won’t have the time or resources to spare getting listed. G-Cloud is one of the easier frameworks to apply for, with a comparatively low barrier of entry to some other tech frameworks. There is also currently no limit to the number of suppliers that are accepted onto the framework, all you have to do is make sure you have a quality listing in order to differentiate yourself.

You can integrate G-Cloud into your Sales and Marketing Strategy

Once accepted onto the framework, you can use this fact in your marketing and comms materials. Being on G-Cloud shows you are government aware and approved. Even if your listing is just a ‘shop window’ for you, you can still leverage it into your marketing strategy.

So, there you have it 10 reasons why you should list on G-Cloud 10. But if you are still evaluating the merits of the framework and need some more info, don’t hesitate to give us a call and let’s talk G-Cloud!