The U.K. Government has awarded the first G-Cloud 8 framework agreement for the supply of distributed ledger technology to technology startup Credits. Credit, which won the Best Blockchain Startup at the 2016 Europas Awards, is a blockchain platform provider supplying distributed ledger technology software and cloud-based services, with tools for building secure and scalable blockchains to power enterprise and public sector applications. In particular, Credits is the first blockchain platform provider with an offering exclusively for the U.K. public sector. G-Cloud 8 is the current iteration of G-Cloud , an initiative of the U.K. government targeted at easing procurement by public-sector bodies of information technology services that use cloud computing. The program, managed by the Crown Commercial Service, contains two key elements: It includes framework agreements with suppliers, from which public sector organizations can buy services without needing to run a full tender or competition procurement process; and it operates an online " Digital Marketplace " where public sector bodies can search for services that are covered by the G-Cloud framework agreements. The G-Cloud framework agreement will allow organizations across the U.K. public sector, including central and local governments, the devolved administrations, health, education, emergency services, defense, and not-for-profits such as housing associations and charities, to use the Credits Blockchain platform-as-a-service (PaaS) without having to go through the time-consuming formalities of the standard public procurement process. Therefore, public bodies in the U.K. are more motivated to use the Credits Blockchain PaaS, which is now officially endorsed by the U.K. government. “G-Cloud and the Digital Marketplace allow for a much more streamlined procurement process and represents a significant advance in the ability for smaller technology providers to sell into government, and, conversely, for government agencies to have greater access to technology to deliver better service to constituents in a more […]
