PublicTechnology understands that latest renewal for Google Workspace wares will address archive data and public inquiries already in train, as well as a contingency for the department’s ongoing migration initiative
The Cabinet Office has signed a potential £12.7m deal for Google Workspace applications, but claims that a project to migrate all employees to Microsoft tools within the next six months remains on track and within budget.
Since spring 2022, the department has been engaged in the delivery of the Falcon programme, which includes two core strands: the development of a new organisation-wide IT system for conducting work at Official classification level; and a wholesale switch of all staff from Google productivity tools to Microsoft 365.
The programme, which forms part of government’s major projects portfolio, is currently scheduled to complete delivery by 31 March 2025 with an overall projected cost of £52m.
Newly released commercial documents reveal that, on 30 September, the Cabinet Office entered into a new one-year engagement for the provision of the Google Workspace suite of products and related services. This deal runs until six months after the intended completion of the Falcon programme, and can also be extended for two further years.
Spending will total about £4m for each year that the contract is in effect, plus a potential additional annual £200,000 in extra services.
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Although the new Google Workspace software and services agreement extends at least six months – and, potentially, two and a half years – beyond the Falcon delivery date, the Cabinet Office told PublicTechnology that the project is still progressing in line with targets.
A departmental spokesperson said: “We are on track to complete the planned migration from Google to Microsoft IT systems through the Falcon Programme, with no forecast increase in cost.”
PublicTechnology understands that, as well as providing a contingency backup plan for any issues with the migration project, the Cabinet Office will continue to rely on Google systems in the longer term to support archive data.
It is also understood that some ongoing public inquiries – for which the department provides support and advice – also use Google tools. To avoid disruption, these use cases will not be migrated to Microsoft.
For the rest of the department, the migration is intended to “enable better interoperability across government as we move both our people and data from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365”, according to the latest departmental major project round-up, released last year.
“The Cabinet Office is at the heart of government and a common productivity suite will enable more efficient and effective ways of working,” the summary added.
There are more than 2,000 civil servants in the Cabinet Office’s core department with an overall headcount of more than 11,000 staff once all arm’s-length bodies – such as the Crown Commercial Service – are included, as well as employees of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Government Digital Service, which was based in the Cabinet Office until a few months ago, was a long-term and high-profile advocate of Google tools. The wider department switched from Microsoft in 2015, in what was seen as a major coup for the enterprise software arm of the search-engine firm.
The Cabinet Office’s latest licence renewal – which was awarded to long-standing supplier Qodea, formerly know as Cloud Technology Solutions – provides the department with access to a wide range of products and support. The text of the contract stipulates the provision of: Google Workspace Enterprise; Google Cloud Platform; Cisco CloudLock; AODocs Enterprise Folders and Document Manager; Dahu; Google Meet Rooms; Google Chrome Enterprise Boxes; Appspace, GAT; and related managed services.
