As a supplier preparing for G-Cloud 15 (GC15), the latest government framework for cloud-based services, you’re entering a critical phase in the UK’s digital procurement landscape.
Whether you’re a scale-up offering SaaS solutions or a cloud infrastructure provider managing long-term contracts with local authorities, getting your G-Cloud documentation in order now will determine how competitive you are when the framework opens.
Under the Procurement Act 2023, GC15 replaces GC14, reshaping how public sector buyers access digital services. Many suppliers are already reviewing their commercial agreements, pricing structures, and compliance documentation to ensure that their bids meet the latest evaluation criteria, covering quality, price, and social value. Others are updating their data protection measures and service descriptions to align with the new framework requirements.
Our commercial law solicitors can work alongside you to prepare your business for GC15 by reviewing and adapting your contracts, ensuring compliance with procurement obligations, and helping you position your services to win and retain government contracts while managing your legal and commercial risk.
Why G-Cloud contracts matter more than ever
But beyond simply understanding the framework, it’s essential to recognise why GC15 represents a significant opportunity – and risk – for digital suppliers.
GC15 enables the public sector to access multiple suppliers and cloud services, including those from the SME sector, providing a quick and easy route to market and access to innovative, up-to-date cloud technology solutions.
GC15 will impact your business whether you are:
- Looking to onboard new G-Cloud clients
- Struggling to navigate legacy contract terms that no longer reflect your service delivery, or
- Wanting to reduce commercial and delivery risks across the procurement lifecycle.
To be a trusted provider to the public sector and participate in this potentially lucrative market, you’ll need to understand how to work effectively with GC15. You will need to ensure that your commercial agreements are reviewed and updated to align with the framework requirements, and verify that they accurately reflect your internal delivery capabilities.
What is changing?
To make the most of these opportunities, suppliers must understand the specific updates GC15 introduces. Here are the most important changes you’ll need to prepare for.
- The Invitation to Tender (ITT), a formal procurement document issued to potential suppliers, sets out the project requirements, evaluation criteria, and contractual terms, and invites bid submissions. It is due to be released on 23 October 2025.
- The contract term will be four years, with new applications and price changes reopening at 18 and 24 months.
- The evaluation criteria used to assess your bid will now include price, quality and social value.
- Modern Slavery Statements will be needed.
- Financial standing checks will be applied to each lot, rather than a single blanket requirement.
- For some lots, carbon reduction plans will be required.
- You must be fully compliant with the prompt payment regime.
- Cyber Essentials and Technical Ability certifications are optional, but could assist your bid.
Your standard terms of business may not cover all of these issues and may need specific updates to ensure compliance with the GC15 requirements. Our commercial lawyers can guide you in preparing your business to participate by registering for the framework and ensuring that the correct documents are in place.
Common pitfalls in G-Cloud agreements
Understanding these updates is only half the battle. Many suppliers fall short not because of the rules themselves, but because of how they prepare for and apply them.
To get ahead of your competitors and give your bid the best chance of success, these are some of the common mistakes to avoid:
- Don’t be vague. This is particularly critical regarding your service description, which is central to the buyer's decision-making process. Be specific and clear in outlining what you’re offering. Keep your target customer in mind – dealing with a public sector client requires a different approach than your private client base.
- Demonstrate compliance. Thoroughly address key issues such as data protection and cyber security, and ensure that any relevant certifications are in place and up to date.
- Review pricing. Means you will need to ensure your pricing structure will satisfy the GC15 rules on transparency and consistency, and that your documentation reflects this.
- Don’t market. Remember that your bid must satisfy the strict criteria outlined in the framework, so this is not the place for a sales pitch.
- Be thorough. Ensure that you have covered all the compulsory aspects of the listing template to avoid having your bid rejected at the first hurdle. Pay special attention to compliance issues.
- Allow enough time. Leaving your documentation preparation to the last minute can lead to some of the above mistakes.
- Check your insurance. Contact your insurers to ensure you are adequately covered, as your risk profile will differ when dealing with a public sector client compared to a private sector one.
- Take professional advice. You may need specialist input from a lawyer on managing your legal risks, for example, by ensuring that you have robust indemnities in place. This is particularly important where subcontractors are involved, and our commercial law solicitors can help you ensure that you have the appropriate indemnities in place throughout your contracting chain.
What your G-Cloud contract should cover
Avoiding these mistakes starts with having the right contract foundations. The following core elements should be clearly addressed in your G-Cloud agreements:
- Your services. Be specific about what you are and aren’t offering, to avoid ‘scope creep’, and disputes further down the line about what is on the table. Include the necessary technical details to back this up.
- Service levels. A clear and comprehensive service description should be supported by appropriate service level agreements, ensuring that performance is measurable and benchmarked against realistic expectations.
- Data protection and security. Ensure your contract outlines how you intend to comply (and that you have the necessary processes in place to fulfil this), as these are critical issues for a public sector buyer, where the security of the general public’s personal (and often sensitive) data may be at stake.
- Termination provisions. Your contract needs specific exit provisions that ensure a smooth transition of services at the end of the term.
- Variation and change of control clauses. What will happen if there is a change of control, or if you need to vary the terms (for example, if your business is sold to a third party during the term, or elements of a key service must be adapted to satisfy regulatory changes)? Including these in your contract from the outset will ensure they can be handled smoothly if the eventuality occurs and align with the GC15 rules.
FAQs
Once businesses begin revising their contracts, several common questions tend to arise. Here are some of the ones we hear most frequently from suppliers preparing for GC15:
- Do I need bespoke terms for each buyer? Possibly, yes – depending on how much your offering varies between buyers, and how different your buyers’ requirements are from each other. Our commercial solicitors can advise on whether a one-size-fits-all, GC15-compliant set of terms is suitable for your needs, or whether you should have a specific set of terms tailored to each buyer.
- How do I manage terms for evolving or multi-year services? We can help you tailor your contract management lifecycle to accommodate adjustments to key variables, such as service volumes and scaling needs. Still, these must be within the parameters permitted by GC15. Under the framework, a supplier can vary but not materially change its service description once the contract is in place. Therefore, any adjustments you may need must be considered at the outset, and an agreed-upon mechanism must be included in the contract. Regarding multi-year agreements, we can ensure they provide smooth transitions from one year to the next, eliminating the need for annual renegotiation or renewal, thus offering much-needed stability and forward-planning capacity.
- What happens if the G-Cloud framework terms conflict with my commercial agreement? If your contract terms conflict with the framework, the framework terms will take precedence.
Key takeaways for suppliers
With these answers in mind, it’s clear that preparation is everything. The following key dates and action points will help you plan your GC15 strategy effectively.
Key dates:
- The invitation to tender (ITT) will be published on 23rd October 2025.
- Applications will then take place throughout the last quarter of 2025, with the framework award due by 20th July 2026.
- The framework is expected to go live in August 2026.
Action points:
Now is the time to get your house in order and audit your current G-Cloud contracts, to identify where changes need to be made in readiness for GC15. It’s also a good opportunity to look carefully at your supply chain and identify any weaknesses which need to be addressed, so that you can approach GC15 with confidence.
Getting ready for GC15 success
GC15 presents a significant opportunity for digital suppliers ready to adapt. By reviewing your contract terms, supply chain relationships and internal delivery capabilities now, you can reduce risk and secure a stronger position in the competitive G-Cloud market.
Our commercial law solicitors can help you audit your existing documentation, update your agreements for GC15 compliance, and guide you through the whole tendering process – from preparing your Invitation to Tender response to negotiating final terms. Working with us will give your business the legal clarity and confidence it needs to compete successfully for public sector contracts under the new framework.
You can access further details and submit your application via the official G-Cloud supplier portal.
