AWS to host UK government's Crown Marketplace
Amazon Web Services has been chosen as the cloud provider of a portal for the UK government which will enable government departments and local councils to procure goods and services online.
The new government portal is being built by a small public sector-focused development team called The Dextrous Web, which - in consultation with the Cabinet Office’s procurement body, the Crown Commercial Service - decided that AWS would be best for the project.
Hosting the primary components of the Crown Marketplace will likely give the company an advantage when it comes to later stages of the project, which may prove lucrative over the long term.
All Web Services
The contract with The Dextrous Web, first reported by The Telegraph, is thought to have been agreed last September, but has only now been made public.
Facing criticism that the government was more likely to choose larger suppliers, Oliver Dowden, the minister for implementation, said last April: "This government is listening to the business community and is committed to leveling the playing field for smaller suppliers to win work in the public sector.”
When it comes to data center and cloud services, however, the trend has skewed heavily towards the dominant players in the market - mainly AWS and Microsoft's Azure.
“Ignore me if you’re going to get offended - Amazon is probably better at hosting than you,” the chief digital and information officer (CDIO) of the UK’s Ministry of Justice, Tom Read, said last year.
He added: “We get a lot of [people] challenging us about procurement - why can you just buy Azure or AWS, don’t you need to be fair and let everybody in the market come to the table? - And it’s really hard, because the answer is ‘no, they’re better.’”
This approach has cost some small companies dearly. In 2017, Salford-based cloud provider DataCentred shut down after its largest customer, the tax collection agency Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, moved to AWS.
“This is a clear case of government saying one thing yet doing another. They say they want to support small businesses but they give the contacts to the big boys and let small businesses go bust," Member of Parliament Margaret Hodge, the former chair of parliament’s public accounts committee, told Sky News at the time.
“They say they want to be tough on tax avoidance but they use our money to give contracts to some of the world’s biggest and most immoral tax avoiders. Surely this is blatant hypocrisy.”
The Everything Store
The US government is pushing forward with a system similar to the Crown Marketplace, with plans for an e-commerce portal that works like Amazon.com, but is intended for government agencies, to be launched in late 2019.
Last year, The Guardian revealed that senior Amazon executive Anne Rung privately advised a top official at the General Services Administration (GSA) about the project, suggested candidates to fill a government position, and inquired whether the official, Mary Davie, knew anyone who could run Amazon Business’s federal government division.
Rung was previously the chief US acquisition officer under the Obama administration.
Section 801 of the National Defense Authorization Act (which has been informally dubbed the “Amazon amendment") was passed last year to mandate the creation of the e-commerce system, with government acquisitions of commercial products thought to represent a $53 billion market
source datacenterdynamics
Industry: Data Centre & Cloud News
Latest Jobs
-
- Cloud Network Engineer
- Leeds
- Up to £35,000 Base + Bonus + Possible Share Options
-
One of our clients, an exciting UK based start-up is on the lookout for a Cloud Network Engineer in Yorkshire. The Cloud Network Engineer will need current CCNA / CCNP level networking experience (Cisco, BGP, IP etc.), cloud networking understanding (Azure, AWS etc.) and current experience ideally within a client facing / consultancy role. (Cloud Engineer, Network Engineer, Azure, AWS, Amazon Web Services) Reference Number: PG7477
-
- Senior Service Desk Analyst
- Wiltshire
- Up to £32,000 Base + £6,400 Shift Allowance
-
We are currently working on behalf of an IT Service Provider based in Wiltshire who are on the lookout for a Senior Service Desk Analyst. The Senior Service Desk Analyst will be responsible for logging, managing and escalating internal & external incidents and requests. This is an excellent opportunity to join a business recognised for what they do and work with a number of top UK businesses. You’ll be able to manage your career development and gain additional training e.g. certifications etc. This role will include a shift (4 days on then 4 days off) which covers 24/7 12 hour shifts The ideal candidate will be currently working in a IT service desk / IT support role ideally in an IT Services business. Reference Number: PG7476 (Service Desk Administrator, Analyst, Support, Service Desk Support, shift work, traning, Information Technology, Customer service, Customer support)
-
- Data Centre Service Delivery Manager
- Hertfordshire
- Up to £50,000 + Package
-
A Data Centre Service Delivery Manager is needed to join a specialist connectivity provider in Hertfordshire. The company is going through a huge growth programme and this is an excellent opening for someone to join a business who are working with globally recognised organisations. You’ll be responsible for: Supporting the Commercial Director with management of existing and potential customers being the main point of contact. Maintaining and improving the company’s current and new services Customer relationship management Attending customer meetings in order to provide guidance to customers Keeping up a high quality level of service Updating appropriate documentation such as policy and procedures and making sure these are in place and followed Change and Incident management Service Level Agreements Experience required Must have current experience working in a Data centre environment in a Service Delivery role. An understanding of Data Centre technology and terminology. Experience of dealing with people of all levels within a business (Engineers to Board level) In return you'll have the ability to work in a cutting edge environment and work with a variety of well known international clients REF: PG7475
-
- Data Centre Account Director
- London
- Up to £80.000 base with uncapped commission
-
Our client is looking for a Data Centre Account Director, the goal of this position is to be a trusted partner / primary point of contact and to achieve sales and margin expectations. You will also be growing new business and long-term growth across data centre services, Building good customer relationship at all levels for revenue growth and customer retention Working with presales specialists to propose relevant and cost effective data centre solutions for customers Understanding and identifying customers’ needs Leading bids, RFPs and proposals submissions Driving new business 60% of your time to new hyperscalers or enteprise customers. The ideal candidate should possess 5 years’ experience in selling Data Centre services. Self-driven, energetic, resourceful, creative and good account management skills and new business skills Ability to build good customer relationship at all levels, Be able to work independently. Reference Number: BD7467 (Data Centre, Data Center, Data Centre Sales, Data Center Sales)