G-Cloud: Stands for government cloud. G-Cloud is a compliant government framework managed by Crown Commercial Service. G-Cloud is specifically for the buying and supplying of cloud based technologies and services.
G-cloud is made up of 4 lots:
- Cloud Hosting
- Cloud Software
- Cloud Support
- End-to-End Cloud Services
G-Cloud (at the time of writing) is currently in its 13th iteration with 3000+ suppliers listing their services.
CCS: Stands for Crown Commercial Service and is responsible for improving government procurement activity and all government frameworks.
Iteration: Literally stands for the repetition of a processes or utterance but for our purposes we use it to describe which version of G-Cloud we are currently on so e.g. G-Cloud 9 is the 9th iteration of the framework.
MI: ‘Management Information’. This is where ALL spend for DOS and G-Cloud is reported. As a supplier on these frameworks you are contractually obliged to report your spend (Even if it’s 0!) monthly.
Service Definition: When submitting your application on G-Cloud you will be asked questions on how your service works. If you want to add more information you are asked to upload a supplementary document: your ‘Service Definition’. This document has no word restriction and is the place to expand on features of your service such as: on-boarding and off-boarding, technical requirements etc. You can even include case studies and use cases!
SFIA Rate Card: This officially stands for ‘Skills for the Information Age’ rate card. This is a standard document which covers the day rates of different levels of consultancy. SFIA rate cards are most commonly used in the Cloud Support Lot, as this Lot relates to people. However, additional consultancy and support can be needed for software and hosting so suppliers in all 3 Lots can upload SFIA rate cards.
SSP: Simply stands for ‘Service Submission Portal’ which in the case of G-Cloud is the Public Procurement Gateway.
Award criteria: The criteria in which the tenders received will be evaluated against.
MEAT: ‘Most Economically Advantageous Tender’ This is the process of choosing a tender that brings the greatest benefit, by combining quality, service and cost.
Call-Off Contract: The agreement with one or more suppliers for a range of goods, services or works which the users “call off” to meet their requirements.
Framework: A framework is an agreement put in place with a variety of providers to enable buyers to place orders without running individual lengthy tendering exercise. Being on an OJEU compliant framework acts as a pre-qualifier.
Framework Agreement/FWA: A framework agreement is the terms agreed by the governing body that suppliers hoping to submit to the framework must adhere to. Essentially, it’s a contract.
Standstill period: Is the period of at least 10 days following the award notice and before the contract is signed by successful suppliers. The Standstill period is really to allow unsuccessful parties to challenge the decision before anything is signed.
Shortlisting: Suppliers are invited to send a quote or bid to proceed to final evaluation.
ITT: or ‘Invitation to Tender’ is the document issued which outlines the scope of a project and invites suppliers to ‘tender’ for those works.
PIN: or ‘Prior Information Notice’ provides the market place with the early notification of the intent to award a contract or a framework. This can lead to early supplier discussions which can help shape the specification.
