UK Government Program Procures Atlassian SaaS Tools
What happened
The UK Shared Business Services has awarded a £29,000 contract for Atlassian software products for its Matrix Programme. The procurement highlights the ongoing shift within UK government agencies toward adopting modular, off-the-shelf SaaS tools. This approach favors rapid deployment over traditional, large-scale IT projects.
Why it matters
- The Matrix Programme is part of the broader Government Shared Services (GSS) Strategy and aims to consolidate nine government departments onto a single SaaS system for HR, finance, and payroll services. - Departments involved in the Matrix Programme include the Cabinet Office, Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care, and HM Treasury, among others. - This procurement aligns with the UK's long-standing "Cloud First" policy, originally established in 2013, which mandates that public sector organizations prioritize cloud solutions for new and existing IT services. - The government is moving towards a more strategic approach to digital sourcing, with a new digital sourcing strategy and the Procurement Act 2023 aiming to simplify processes and improve access for SMEs. - UK Shared Business Services (UKSBS) acts as the shared service center for the Matrix Programme, and it leverages external SaaS suppliers and managed service providers to deliver these services. - The UK public sector spends over £1 billion annually on cloud solutions, a figure that is expected to grow. The Government Digital Service (GDS) is developing a tool to track this spending in near real-time to ensure value for taxpayer money. - Atlassian tools like Jira are often used within government to support agile project management, IT Service Management (ITSM), and to overhaul legacy technology systems. - This small contract is part of a much larger government IT expenditure; for context, the G-Cloud 14 framework for cloud computing and related services is valued at a maximum of £6.5 billion.
Key numbers
- The UK Shared Business Services has awarded a £29,000 contract for Atlassian software products for its Matrix Programme.
- This procurement aligns with the UK's long-standing "Cloud First" policy, originally established in 2013, which mandates that public sector organizations prioritize cloud solutions for new and existing IT services.
- The government is moving towards a more strategic approach to digital sourcing, with a new digital sourcing strategy and the Procurement Act 2023 aiming to simplify processes and improve access for SMEs.
- The UK public sector spends over £1 billion annually on cloud solutions, a figure that is expected to grow.
What happens next
- The Matrix Programme is part of the broader Government Shared Services (GSS) Strategy and aims to consolidate nine government departments onto a single SaaS system for HR, finance, and payroll services.
- The UK public sector spends over £1 billion annually on cloud solutions, a figure that is expected to grow.
Quick answers
What happened in UK Government Program Procures Atlassian SaaS Tools?
The UK Shared Business Services has awarded a £29,000 contract for Atlassian software products for its Matrix Programme. The procurement highlights the ongoing shift within UK government agencies toward adopting modular, off-the-shelf SaaS tools. This approach favors rapid deployment over traditional, large-scale IT projects.
Why does UK Government Program Procures Atlassian SaaS Tools matter?
The Matrix Programme is part of the broader Government Shared Services (GSS) Strategy and aims to consolidate nine government departments onto a single SaaS system for HR, finance, and payroll services. Departments involved in the Matrix Programme include the Cabinet Office, Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care, and HM Treasury, among others. This procurement aligns with the UK's long-standing "Cloud First" policy, originally established in 2013, which mandates that public sector organizations prioritize cloud solutions for new and existing IT services. The government is moving towards a more strategic approach to digital sourcing, with a new digital sourcing strategy and the Procurement Act 2023 aiming to simplify processes and improve access for SMEs. UK Shared Business Services (UKSBS) acts as the shared service center for the Matrix Programme, and it leverages external SaaS suppliers and managed service providers to deliver these services. The UK public sector spends over £1 billion annually on cloud solutions, a figure that is expected to grow. The Government Digital Service (GDS) is developing a tool to track this spending in near real-time to ensure value for taxpayer money. Atlassian tools like Jira are often used within government to support agile project management, IT Service Management (ITSM), and to overhaul legacy technology systems. This small contract is part of a much larger government IT expenditure; for context, the G-Cloud 14 framework for cloud computing and related services is valued at a maximum of £6.5 billion.
