G-Cloud Service Definition Assurance Verification
How do the G-Cloud Team assure the service definitions against the requirements of the framework contract?
What’s the minimum information required?
What do buyers want to see?
Why the G-Cloud Team need to Crowdsource the assurance process.
What is Service Definition Assurance Verfication?
This is the minimum set of information that’s expected in a service definition. This is a requirement of section 5, Assurance Verification of the “G-Cloud 6 Framework and Call-Off Contract FINAL.docx”
The assurance verification process helps services offered within the Digital Marketplace meet the G-Cloud definitions.
FW-5.1 The Supplier notes and accepts that a key element in the operation of the Framework Agreement is an Assurance verification process whereby the Authority, and other agents appointed by the Authority, verifies any or all claims made by the Supplier in their response to the Invitation to Tender, in their Catalogue entries, and in their Service Definitions.
Assurance verification process forms an integral part of the qualification process for this Framework Agreement. Thereafter, Assurance verification will continue to verify that any Catalogue entries and related Service Definitions are an accurate reflection of the actual characteristics of the G-Cloud Service offering and that the Supplier continues to meet the essential qualification criteria established at the award of this Framework Agreement.
Supplier’s failure thereafter to maintain the appropriate level of Assurance verification (described at http://gcloud.civilservice.gov.uk/supplier-zone/assurance) will result in the suspension of either the Supplier or the particular service offering.
What information is required in a Service Definition?
Section FW-5 of the G-Cloud contract refers to http://gcloud.civilservice.gov.uk/supplier-zone/assurance for the details of the service assurance verification. This has now been archived and now redirects to https://www.gov.uk/how-to-use-cloudstore. This has a section for Assurance and this refers to the following document.
This document contains the minimum set of information that’s expected in a service definition, which includes;
- an overview of the G-Cloud Service (functional, non functional)
- information assurance: Impact Level (IL) at which the G-Cloud Service is accredited to hold and process information. This requirement is now outdated and you should now refer to the Cloud Security Principles.
- details of the level of backup / restore and disaster recovery that will be provided
- on-boarding and off-boarding processes / scope, etc.
- pricing (including unit prices, volume discounts (if any), data extraction etc)
- service management details
- service constraints (eg maintenance windows, level of customisation permitted, schedule for deprecation of functionality / features etc)
- service levels (eg performance, availability, support hours, severity definitions etc)
- financial recompense model for not meeting service levels
- training
- ordering and invoicing process
- termination terms by consumers (ie consumption)
- termination terms by the supplier (removal of the G-Cloud Service)
- data restoration / service migration
- consumer responsibilities
- technical requirements (service dependencies and detailed technical interfaces, eg client side requirements, bandwidth / latency requirements etc)
- details of any trial service available.
Suppliers may choose not to provide these aspects of a service, but do need to be clear in their service definition that they don’t.
Assurance Verification Process
The process for getting yourself into the Digital Marketplace is as follows;
- Suppliers submit the services they want to supply through the G-Cloud framework.
- The government creates a framework agreement with the eligible suppliers.
- The government conducts assurance checks.
- Suppliers can then offer their services to public sector buyers on the Digital Marketplace.
Reading the responses to the Claffications Questions from the tender, it is important to note that Assurance Verification takes place after award.
Services are tested against the specifications for Lots to ensure they are in scope and also that the documets are clear and transparent as per the terms of the framework
The assurance process is an ongoing process through the life of the framework. If the service is in scope it will remain on the framework however if it is out of scope it will be removed
Assurance will be carried out post award and you may be contacted if required.
You MUST submit a pricing document, terms and conditions, service definition, and a SFIA rate document if your services are based on day rates.
Why is Assurance Verification after Award?
It can take 30 minutes to read a service definition and check it against the requirements of the framework.
There are 16,000+ services within the framework, which would take about 1,000 days effort to carry out assurance verification.
Services can be updated anytime during the framework, so the amount of effort for assurance verification is vast.
Assurance is continuous ongoing process so your services could be reviewed at any time and this may involve removal from the Digital Marketplace and Framework.
Supplier Recommendations
It is soooooo important to provide clear and concise service definitions. The Assurance Verification process could mean your services or you are removed from the Digital Marketplace and the Framework.
It it also important to provide all the required and relevant informaiton within the service definitions, because the buyers have little time to assess the service, so the quality of the service definition is vital to buyers.
G-Cloud Team Recommendations
The Assurance Verification process could be improved by Crowdsourcing the verification;
- Opening up assurance verification to buyers and suppliers by providing the capability for buyers and suppliers to ‘report’ a non-compliant service
