Now that G-Cloud 13 is open for supplier applications, Advice Cloud are hard at work helping our clients get their listings to the best they can be. There’s a lot of work to be done to make sure that your service offerings through the framework are both compliant AND buyable. So, here’s some top tips on where to get started…
Get your teams on board
Crafting the listings for your services on G-Cloud is a team effort. You’ll need to get your pricing right, technical specs, branding (for your associated documents), and product/service overview all perfect. This means you’ll probably have to ask a few different people for their input. Make sure they’re available over the time you’re crafting these listings.
Give yourself time to get it right
Do not leave it until the last minute! As our last point shows, it can take a little while to bring everything together. You’ll also want to give yourself time beforehand to understand all of the requirements, and afterwards to review everything before clicking submit.
If you’re applying for Lot 4, this will take a lot more time than a Lot 1-3 listing too. So, make sure you read the requirements fully and give yourself enough time to complete your application!
Do your competitor research
The good thing about G-Cloud is that it’s all open and transparent. Do a little digging and search for your competitors on the framework. See what their listings look like and what keywords they’re using.
ALSO, you can even view the G-Cloud spend data to see if they’re making sales through the framework – letting you know if they’re listings are having any success too.
Test out your search terms
Think about your search terms for the product or service you’re listing. Have a go at searching for similar products or services yourself and note how many results you get. You’ll want to appear in searches with very few results to be in with a chance of being evaluated. Make sure they’re terms you think the public service will actually be looking for though, and remember they can’t search company/software names.
Understand your social value proposition
An added element to G-Cloud 13 is the inclusion of social value. Suppliers now have to provide at least 300 words on social value per listing. With buyers clarifying more on this during the evaluation process too. You’ll need to know how your company offers social value to the public sector and how you can demonstrate that – for your application and beyond.
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Know your Lot
There are now FOUR Lots for G-Cloud. Hosting, Software, Support, and end-to-end cloud services. Before you get started, make sure you know where your product or service fits and what the requirements are for being featured within each Lot.
Lot 4 has a lot more to it than the other three and is even held separate to the Digital Marketplace. So, you’ll only want to apply if you definitely know it’s for you!
Get your pricing right
We see many suppliers fall down on pricing. Take the time to make sure you’re pricing documents clearly show your pricing structure and offers the best value you can deliver at. Suppliers’ services on G-Cloud are still evaluated using M.E.A.T criteria. So, you’ll want to make sure you are in the mix with clear costs, or you’ll miss out.
Get your additional documents up to scratch
The front-end listing is very important, however the associated documents you need to attach to each listing are vital too. We’ve covered your pricing document, but another important one is the Service Definition. These mandatory components feature your offering in full and are what buyers will look through to gather whether your service or product meets their requirements. If it’s not right, you won’t be bought. It’s as simple as that.
Make sure you’re compliant
Getting on to G-Cloud can seem like it’s really easy. But this means it’s easy to make mistakes. Make sure you’re listed on the right Lot and have everything in order to be bought. Just because you’re on there doesn’t mean buyers can choose you. If there’s something wrong with your additional documentation, what you’ve said in your listing, or your pricing, they can’t buy your services through G-Cloud.
Lastly, make sure you’re buyable!
Take all of our tips and put them together. Make sure your listing is the best it can be. That means being searchable and buyable on G-Cloud. Put the framework into your sales and marketing strategy and get out there when it goes Live in September!
There you have it. Our top tips for G-Cloud 13. If you’d like to get to know more about how Advice Cloud can help with the 13th iteration of the framework, including getting you listed, get in touch here.
