G-Cloud 15 is now live, with 4,233 suppliers listed across its 5 lots. Buyers can find them on the Digital Marketplace, then buy through the Contracts Award Service (CAS), either directly or via a further competition depending on the route. If your business didn’t secure a place this time, it’s worth understanding what that means. It’s less final than it would have been on any previous G-Cloud iteration.
Why this time is different
Every G-Cloud before this one worked the same way. There was a fixed application window, an award, and then a closed framework, and the whole cycle repeated, often two years or more later. If you missed the window, you missed the framework, full stop.
G-Cloud 15 changes that. It’s the first G-Cloud run as an open framework under the Procurement Act 2023, structured across four years in three phases: roughly 18 months, 18 months, then 12 months. At each reopening point, new suppliers can apply to join, and existing suppliers can update their offering and pricing. That means your next opportunity to get on G-Cloud 15 isn’t years away. The framework is due to reopen around 18 months after go-live, putting the next window at roughly early 2028.
That’s still a wait, but it’s a wait you can prepare for, rather than a door that’s simply closed.
What this means for the market in the meantime
With G-Cloud 15 now live, expect buyer attention to shift toward the suppliers already on the framework, particularly for straightforward requirements suited to an award without competition. That’s a real, if temporary, disadvantage if you’re not listed.
G-Cloud 14 remains live in parallel too, until it expires on 28th October 2026. Any call-off contract signed before that date can keep running beyond it, though no new call-offs can start once the framework has expired. If you’re already on G-Cloud 14, that overlap gives you a limited but real window to keep trading through it while you prepare for G-Cloud 15’s reopening. If you’re not on either framework, your realistic public sector routes for cloud services run through other frameworks, subcontracting arrangements with suppliers who are listed, or direct engagement outside a framework altogether.
How to spend your time before the framework reopens
The suppliers who get through a reopening window smoothly treat the gap as preparation time, not dead time. Here’s where to start.
Get your compliance in order early
G-Cloud 15 requires Cyber Essentials for every supplier, Cyber Essentials Plus for the hosting lots, Technical Ability Certificates, and the relevant ISO certifications where applicable. Cyber Essentials itself is usually straightforward, typically two to four weeks depending on your company’s size. Start now, so you’re not scrambling when the window opens.
Identify a reference customer for your Technical Ability Certificate
Whichever lot fits your services, you’ll need a customer willing to sign off on your Technical Ability Certificate when you apply. You can add or update case studies on your listing at any time once you’re on the framework, so they’re not something to prepare in advance. Lining up the right reference customer genuinely is.
Start engaging with buyers now
Talk to buyers ahead of the reopening. It helps you understand which procurement routes they’re likely to take, and where the real opportunities sit, rather than guessing once the tender notice lands. Our G-Cloud workshop covers this in more depth if you want a structured way in.
Understand which lot actually fits
G-Cloud 15’s five lots cover cloud hosting, cloud hosting above OFFICIAL, infrastructure software, software as a service, and cloud support, and they aren’t identical to previous iterations. Understanding where your services sit now will save you from a rushed decision when the tender notice lands. Our G-Cloud glossary is a good place to get up to speed if the terminology is new to you.
Watch for the tender notice
When the framework reopens, GCA will publish the procurement details on Find a Tender. Monitor this directly rather than relying on finding out after the fact.
A quick check while you wait
- Do you know which of the five G-Cloud 15 lots would fit your services?
- Is your Cyber Essentials certification in place, or under way?
- Have you identified a customer who could sign off your Technical Ability Certificate?
- Have you started talking to buyers about their likely procurement routes?
- Are you monitoring Find a Tender for the reopening notice?
- Do you have a plan for public sector routes in the meantime?
If you’re answering no to most of these, there’s real value in starting now rather than waiting for the window to open.
Getting ready for the next opportunity
The good news: a missed G-Cloud 15 application is a preparation window, not a missed opportunity for good the way it might’ve been before the Procurement Act 2023. The suppliers who use it well tend to be the ones who walk into the reopening ready, rather than starting from scratch.
If you’d like help mapping which lot fits your business, getting your compliance and evidence in order, or exploring other public sector routes in the meantime, book a free 30-minute call with our team.
Not sure where to start? Our free Buyability Assessment gives you a quick gap analysis of your wider public sector readiness.
