Crown Commercial Service Is Now GCA: What Public Sector Buyers Need to Know

What actually changed when CCS became GCA?

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) merged with several Cabinet Office Central Commercial Teams to form Government Commercial Agency (GCA) on 1 April 2026. The change responds to the Cabinet Office Futures Programme and an arms-length body review. The goal is a unified commercial function with one point of accountability across government.

Practically speaking, very little changes for buyers. The GCA website is at gca.gov.uk. Framework agreements, supplier listings, call-off contracts, and procurement processes are all unchanged. Your existing supplier contacts and support arrangements continue.

The CCS website at crowncommercial.gov.uk now redirects to GCA. Any bookmarked links still work.

What did not change?

The things that matter most to buyers are unaffected:

• All existing call-off contracts awarded under CCS frameworks remain valid.
• Supplier IDs and Digital Marketplace listings are unchanged.
• The buying process, templates, and approval routes are the same.
• Points of contact and support teams continue in their roles.

If you have an ongoing engagement with a supplier through a CCS framework, it continues without any modification. No re-procurement is required.

What is DOS 7 and why does it matter?

Digital Outcomes and Specialists 7 (DOS 7, agreement reference RM1043.9) went live on 30 January 2026. It replaces two previous frameworks: Digital Outcomes 6 (DOS 6) and Digital Specialists and Programmes (DSP). If your organisation was buying bespoke digital delivery through either of those, DOS 7 is now the route.

DOS 7 is a significant improvement in structure. The four lots are:

• Lot 1, Digital Outcomes. For defined, outcome-based digital projects delivered using agile methods. The buyer describes the outcome, suppliers propose their approach, and the buyer selects on fit and value. Call-off terms up to four years.
• Lot 2, Digital Capability and Delivery Partners. For longer-term digital transformation programmes where you need ongoing strategic delivery support, capability building, or resource augmentation.
• Lot 3, Digital Specialists. For individual digital, data, and technology (DDaT) specialists to join an existing team or support a specific project. Covers the full DDaT profession framework.
• Lot 4, User Research Studios and Participants. For studio space and user research participant recruitment.

Other improvements over DOS 6 include an open framework that reopens for new supplier applications every 18 months, no cap on the number of approved suppliers, reduced insurance requirements, and a competitive dialogue option for buyers who need to shape requirements through supplier engagement.

Which lot should you use?

For most custom software development and digital delivery work, Lot 1 is the right route. You define the outcome (for example, a new case management system, a legacy migration, or an AI-powered service), suppliers respond with their approach and pricing, and you evaluate on technical quality and value.

Use Lot 2 if you are running a multi-year digital transformation programme and need a delivery partner who will work alongside your team across multiple workstreams, with the flexibility to adapt as priorities shift.

Use Lot 3 if you already have a delivery team and need to fill specific roles, such as a senior .NET engineer, a delivery manager, or a user researcher.

A practical tip: most suppliers on DOS 7 are happy to speak with buyers before a brief is published. Use that conversation to sense-check which lot applies to your situation, whether the scope is right for the framework, and what a realistic timeline looks like. It saves time and improves brief quality.

How does G-Cloud 14 fit into this?

G-Cloud 14 is the current catalogue-based framework for cloud hosting, cloud software, and cloud support. It went live in October 2024 and runs until October 2026, with the possibility of extension.

G-Cloud 14 works differently from DOS 7. Suppliers list their services at fixed or capped day rates on the Digital Marketplace. You search, compare, and award directly without a competitive exercise. This makes it significantly faster for services where the scope is clear and the market is well defined.

Use G-Cloud 14 when:

• You need a specific cloud product or service at a known specification.
• You want to compare listed options and prices before awarding.
• Speed is a priority and you do not need to customise the scope through a brief.

Use DOS 7 when:

• The outcome or specification needs to be defined through supplier responses.
• You need bespoke development, discovery work, or a specialist team.
• The project requires ongoing delivery partnership across an extended period.

Many public sector digital programmes use both frameworks in combination: G-Cloud 14 for infrastructure, tooling, and support, and DOS 7 for delivery work.

What does the Procurement Act 2023 change?

DOS 7 is the first major digital framework to run under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force in February 2025. The Act replaces the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR2015) for new frameworks.

For buyers, the main practical differences are:

• A greater emphasis on transparency in award decisions, with more detailed standstill and debriefing obligations.
• A new concept of “open frameworks” that can reopen periodically for new suppliers, which is how DOS 7 works.
• Competitive dialogue as a standard process option, not a special case.
• Updated definitions of how contracts can be extended and varied.

G-Cloud 14 was awarded under PCR2015 and continues under those rules until it closes. DOS 7 uses the new Act. If your organisation has not yet familiarised itself with the Procurement Act 2023, the Crown Commercial Service Buyer Journey documentation on the GCA website is a good starting point.

What should you do now?

If you are planning a digital procurement in 2026, the immediate steps are:

1. Check which framework applies to your need. If you are buying a defined cloud service, use G-Cloud 14. If you need bespoke delivery, use DOS 7.
2. For DOS 7, familiarise yourself with the four lots and confirm which applies before writing a brief.
3. Update any internal guidance or procurement templates that reference CCS to reflect GCA. Process and rules are unchanged, but the organisation name and website have moved.
4. Check whether GCA buyer onboarding webinars are scheduled. GCA and the Digital Marketplace team run regular webinars for buyers new to each framework. These are free and save time on first procurements.
5. If you have suppliers under existing CCS call-off contracts, no action is required. Those contracts continue unchanged.

Talk Think Do on GCA frameworks

We are an approved Government Commercial Agency supplier on G-Cloud 14 and DOS 7. Our supplier ID on the Digital Marketplace is 704666.

Under G-Cloud 14, we offer custom software development and modernisation, DevOps managed services, and mission-critical managed application support.

Under DOS 7, we work primarily under Lot 1 (Digital Outcomes) and Lot 2 (Digital Capability and Delivery Partners) for software delivery, legacy modernisation, cloud migration, and AI development. We have delivered and supported software for the Department for Education, Livestock Information Services, and CalMac Ferries, all through GCA framework contracts.

We are happy to speak with buyers before a brief is submitted. If you are trying to scope a requirement or work out which lot fits, get in touch and we can walk through it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk Think Do is a Microsoft Solutions Partner, Learnosity Partner, and approved Government Commercial Agency (GCA) supplier. We support public sector organisations with cloud application development, DevOps implementation, legacy modernisation, and custom generative AI integration using Microsoft Azure. If you are planning a public sector procurement, get in touch or find us on the Digital Marketplace (supplier ID 704666).