The Crown Hosting Data Centres framework on Digital Marketplace
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-01)

How the Crown Hosting Data Centres framework provides physical datacentre space for public sector organisations.

The Crown Hosting Data Centres framework is available to all central government departments, arm’s length bodies and the wider public sector.

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx) to talk about your datacentre hosting needs.

Digital Marketplace overview

The Digital Marketplace (https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/) helps you find cloud technology and specialist services for digital projects.

It uses 3 frameworks (agreements between government and suppliers). You can find:
- digital outcomes, digital specialists and user research services through the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework
- cloud services (for example, cloud hosting, software and support) through the G-Cloud framework
- physical data centre space through the Crown Hosting framework
All public sector organisations, including agencies and arm’s length bodies, can use the Digital Marketplace.

The Crown Hosting framework

The Crown Hosting Data Centres framework is an agreement between the government and a supplier called Crown Hosting Data Centres Limited. Crown Hosting Data Centres Limited is a joint venture between the government and Ark Data Centres Limited. The framework provides public sector organisations with access to physical data centre space.

The Crown Hosting Data Centres framework supplements the government’s Cloud First policy. Although Cloud First has helped the government move many applications to the cloud, some applications either can’t make the transition in the short term or are too expensive to switch. This cross-government framework ensures that these applications can continue to be hosted for as long as is necessary, cheaply and securely. ##Features

Crown Hosting offers:
- mission-critical data centres
- a secure environment for transition to the cloud
- a flexible, ‘pay-for-what-you-use’ model
- power uptime availability that exceeds Tier III
- leading environmental performance
Benefits

The framework offers:
- easy access to co-located, secure data centres with no minimum volume commitment
- cost savings (because government demand for data centre space is aggregated)
- time savings (because there’s no need to manage multiple supplier tenders)
- simple, transparent ‘pay-for-what-you-use’ pricing so usage can be scaled as required
- choice of duration commitments that can be ended early without charge
- financial volume rebates linked to the aggregate consumption
- robust performance service-level agreements, including power uptime
- strong step-in rights for government to ensure continuity of service if required
Security

The data centres are:
- assured by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to OFFICIAL
- capable of delivering services with increased security levels
- protective marking
- personnel security
- physical security
- information security
- compliant with the ISO 27001 standard for security management
Connectivity

The data centres have robust multiple(?) connections to the:
- Public Services Network (PSN)
- NHS Network (N3)
- Secret LAN Interconnect (SLI) networks
- Restricted LAN Interconnect (RLI) networks
- internet
Service-level agreements

The service contract covers:
- power uptime
- power outages
- environmental performance
- incident management
- change management
- capacity management
- backup and disaster recovery through multiple data centre campuses
Specific government requirements (for example, those relating to latency or service levels) can be agreed with the supplier and framework authority.

Quality and environmental standards

All data centres are compliant with industry standards, including:
- ISO 9001 standard for quality management
- ISO 14001 standard for environmental management
- EU Code of Conduct, which is aligned with industry-recognised energy efficiency practices
- ISO 27001, 22301, HMG ITHC and Cyber Essentials Plus
- ISO 50001
- Investors in People Platinum
Further information

Contact the Crown Hosting team if you want to learn more about the framework.

Crown Hosting

xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

If you’d like to buy technology services from another framework you can:
- find a framework on the CCS website (http://ccs-agreements.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/)
- email Crown Commercial Service for help and advice
Crown Commercial Service

xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)