The dark satanic rumour mill has manufactured a hell on earth yarn which says that G-Cloud 9 will be extended by 12 months next week, with G-Cloud 10 now delayed until May 2019.
G-Cloud 9 was supposed to end on 22 May but now the government is mulling over an extension and is expected to confirm it soon. The question is why and it is believed that framework has suffered since Tony Singleton moved on.
The worry is that there might be “very significant” problems with G-Cloud which will leave suppliers burnt, while many expected an extension they did not expect the full 12 months.
Each time there is a new G-Cloud there are more than 700 new SME suppliers join. Suppliers cannot be added in the middle of an iteration, meaning they have to wait and apply for the next version. New products and services can not be added mid-iteration, meaning these also have to wait for the next incarnation to launch.
Another issue is that this shows that the government’s so-called commitment to technology is inconsistent and not transparent. Some suppliers are muttering that the government claims it has an industrial strategy where tech SMEs are seen as vital, and yet the Cabinet Office and Crown Commercial Service are deciding internally whether they’re really going to do something which damages the growth of the same sector.
Delays will cause pricing issues for suppliers because prices are locked in when a G-Cloud iteration goes live and can able to be changed when a new iteration launches.
