Cloud Compute 2

Summary

All public sector organisations will be able to fulfil their public cloud computing needs directly from cloud service providers and indirectly through resellers. This agreement may also include some specific professional services that provide customers with specific enabling work, short-term in nature, that leaves a customer in a more capable state than before.

Description

Cloud Compute RM6292 (Cloud Compute 2) will be the second iteration of Cloud Compute RM6111 which is due to expire in 2024.

We expect this agreement to go live in August 2023. It will run for 3 years with the option of 1 extension. This extension will be for up to 1 year.

While we acknowledge that the focus of Cloud Compute will remain on customers who prefer to contract with public cloud service providers (CSPs) directly, we anticipate that this agreement will consider a wider scope with the proposed lot structure:

  • Lot 1 – Core Services
  • Lot 2 – Value-added Ancillary Services
  • Lot 3 – Professional Services
  • Lot 4 – Cloud Secure+

By using this agreement you will have the opportunity to access:

  • competitive value for money
  • a robust set of terms and conditions that meets central government commercial policy objectives

Cloud Compute 2 will mainly offer services that are related to:

  • Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
  • Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS)

PaaS provides platform tools needed to create applications that will provide a service over the internet.

IaaS provides compute, storage, networking and other capabilities. This means you are able to change the size of the services you need to suit any changes in demand at short notice.

For more information on PaaS and IaaS, read the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Definition of Cloud Computing.

Tools that will immediately support or optimise your service needs will also be available.

Benefits

We intend to build on the benefits of the earlier Cloud Compute agreement, including:

  • terms and conditions which are designed for public cloud services to ensure:
    • better protection and understanding
    • that they meet central government commercial policy requirements
  • terms and conditions that reduce the need for long negotiations
  • direct award and further competition routes to market, which allow for savings in time and money
  • flexibility in the services that suppliers may offer, making sure that the latest services are always available to customers

Product types

More information on the lot structure and scope will be provided at a later date following market engagement.

Market engagement

Pre-market engagement with CSPs, resellers, partners and customers will start in December 2021. As of July 2022, the Cloud Compute category team has engaged with hundreds of suppliers, across the supply chain through supplier webinars, one-to-one consultations and workshops.
These engagements will help to determine your needs around buying, consuming and implementing cloud compute services. It will also help us to define the scope of professional services within the agreement.

We held a webinar for potential bidders on 7 July 2023. The webinar included:

  • the scope of this agreement
  • distinctive elements of the evaluation process for bidding to join the agreement
  • a review of the routes to market for buyers
  • general guidance for bidders

Watch a recording of the post ITT bidders conference v2.

Check this page for updates on our plans for further engagement.

Document

RM6292 Supplier and buyer frequently asked questions v1.1

Important links

Prior Information Notice (PIN) Not available yet
Contract Notice in Find a Tender Service (FTS) Not available yet
Download tender documents Not available yet

Timeline

Activity Estimated dates
Pre-market engagement by August 2022
Drafting of procurement documentation August 2022
Publication of FTS notice June 2023
Framework Award November 2023

Pre ITT information 

The below guidance, links and attachments contains information regarding the final draft documentation of the RM6292 Cloud Compute 2 framework agreement. Please note this is for reference only.

CCS is unable to review or answer any questions in relation to the contents of this communication outside of the formal ITT Clarification process, which will start immediately after the publication of the Open Tender FTS.

Please note, draft documents contained within this page are in no way indicative of the final versions that will be released in the FTS.

The following draft indicative documents are available upon request:

  • draft Framework Agreement and Schedules, draft Template Call-Off Terms, draft Collaboration Agreement Template and draft Order Forms
  • draft Pricing Matrix

Preparation guidance

CCS is required to embed public procurement notice requirements into their frameworks, such as those outlined. Links and publicly available guidance for these requirements are set out below.

Additional:

Bidders will be expected to evidence their professional and technical ability in each Lot they are bidding for. This will take the form of a certificate listing key elements of the scope of this procurement delivered to customers in previous procurements.  Those customers will be required to sign the certificate.

Further information about these and other requirements for this ITT can also be found in the Sourcing and Consultancy Playbooks and PPN 03/23: The Standard Selection Questionnaire.

Upon release of a Contract Notice and FTS publication, the Bid Pack and final procurement documents will be available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, using the Crown Commercial Service eSourcing tool.

ITT publication

The Contract Notice and Invitation to Tender documents are now live and can be accessed by registered suppliers via the eSourcing Tool. The clarification period for bidders to ask questions ends on Friday 14 July 2023 and the bid submission window will close at 3pm on Monday 21 August.

Links to the contract notice can be found here:

Framework agreement document map

Read the agreement’s document map.