Spending through the government’s Digital Marketplace, home of the G-Cloud and Digital Services frameworks, has broken the £1bn sales barrier, officials confirmed last week.
Launched in November 2014, the platform, which helps public sector organisations source IT services, boasts over 2,400 suppliers, 90 per cent of which are small and medium-sized enterprises.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Matt Hancock and the government’s Chief Technology Officer, Liam Maxwell made the announcement at the government’s annual digital conference, Sprint. Speaking at the event, the pair confirmed the milestone, adding that over 50 per cent of business (roughly £521m worth of deals), had gone to SMEs.
The Cabinet Office had set a target of 25 per cent of Government spending to go to small and medium-sized firms by 2015.
Officials at the conference also announced that further upgrades will be made to the platform, including scaling to provide more services for all.
Figures released at the conference continue to highlight G-Cloud’s dominance. According to data issued in December, £903m has been spent through through G-Cloud, whilst the Digital Services framework stands at just £37m. The Digital Services framework is set to be scrapped imminently in favour of the new Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework.
Local government spending through G-Cloud rose by 2.8% during December after a significant drop in November.
Official figures on sales made through the Digital Marketplace, show that purchases in the local authority category, which includes councils, housing associations and other local public bodies, rose from £1.45m to £1.49m over the course of the month.
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