The Digital Transformation Agency has officially launched its new cloud marketplace after it was initially postponed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The marketplace, which replaced the DTA’s Cloud Services Panel, launched with 348 suppliers selected as cloud-capable sellers to government, including a number of small-to-medium enterprises (SME), startups and national and global providers.
The DTA said the marketplace aimed to meet the complex needs of government agencies who are looking to easily source value-for-money cloud solutions.
Cloud offerings are grouped into two procurement categories, cloud consulting and cloud services.
The cloud consulting category lets government buyers access cloud-based professional services using a rate-card system to give buyers more flexibility in how they use the services.
The Cloud Services category includes various IT capabilities offered under “as a service” delivery models. To promote a common approach and ease of access, descriptions of cloud services align with the International Standard ISO/IEC17788.
“As cloud technology continues to expand and evolve, appointed sellers will be able to showcase their capabilities and update their service offerings,” DTA’s announcement read.
“The Cloud Marketplace will also be refreshed regularly for new sellers to join.”
The standing offer period started on 1 April 2021 and finishes on 31 March 2024. The full list of providers can be found here.
The Cloud Services Panel (CSP) ran from 2015 to March 2020, but was extended for another year due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. The CSP hosted more than 500 cloud services from 240 sellers.
The new marketplace was created to factor in the emergence of cloud-based anything-as-a-service offerings, the prevalence of SMEs in the cloud market, the industry shift towards ‘marketplace’ arrangements, updated licensing models from vendors, security accreditations and the increasing popularity of cloud-centric managed services.
The original proposal included a third category, cloud-centric managed services, which eventually didn't make the cut.
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