The G-Cloud has been set up to help public-sector organisations reduce the amount of time - and therefore cost - it takes to commission "off-the-shelf" IT services. By purchasing under the framework of the G-Cloud, there is no need to undertake lengthy and costly tendering and OJEU procedures.

Marie Durif, the Head of Sourcing & Category Management for ICT, Government Procurement Service said, "GCloud ii builds on the success of the first framework and will continue to help transform the way the public sector buys IT services, driving further savings for the taxpayer."

As budgets have decreased and efficiencies driven forward, the pressure on managers to improve their performance has significantly increased in recent times. Social awareness on how public-sector organisations spend public money has accelerated the move away from traditional forms of training to develop a different "learnscape" - a mix of formal training and informal learning activities.

Alchemy for Managers is already an integral part of leadership development and ongoing management support at the College of Policing and other public-sector organisations.

Paul Matthews, founder and MD of People Alchemy, said "I have spoken with Government and Police Force representatives around the country, and they are all excited about just how much easier purchasing off- the-shelf from the CloudStore will be for them. The costly and time-consuming tendering process is no longer required for products and services available under the G-Cloud ii framework."