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Guide Origin: Community | ArcKit Version: [VERSION]
/arckit:service-design creates a per-service design document for a G-Cloud 15 (RM1557.15) Digital
Marketplace offering and fixes its lot. It is an internal planning document, not submitted to GCA
(the Government Commercial Agency, formerly CCS); every later document for the service is built
from it, and the SDD, pricing, security and review commands read the lot it records. In the G-Cloud
supplier overlay, each service is its own ArcKit project under projects/<NNN>-<service-name>/.
Command
/arckit:service-design <service name, lot, and context>
Output:
projects/<NNN>-<service-name>/ARC-<NNN>-SVCD-v1.0.md
Naming the lot in the arguments (for example 2b or SaaS) skips the lot question.
A re-run updates the existing service project rather than creating a second one. The command looks
the service up by project number, name or path (projects/004-secure-case-mgmt) before it creates
anything, and asks when an existing project looks like the same offer under another name.
When to Use
- To design a new G-Cloud 15 service and choose which of the five lots it belongs in.
- To capture the service name, description, categories, features, benefits, supplier type, support model and pricing approach before drafting the SDD.
- To ground pricing, security answers and the competitor benchmark in a single service design.
Lots
| Lot | What it covers | Category roots | Search slug | SDD command |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a IaaS and PaaS | Processing and storing data, running software or networking | IaaS, PaaS | iaas-and-paas |
/arckit:sdd-lot1a |
| 1b IaaS and PaaS above OFFICIAL | As 1a, for data above OFFICIAL | IaaS, PaaS | not publicly listed | /arckit:sdd-lot1b |
| 2a Infrastructure Software as a Service (iSaaS) | Systems infrastructure software | Systems Infrastructure Software; Application Development and Deployment | isaas |
/arckit:sdd-lot2a |
| 2b Software as a Service (SaaS) | Applications | Applications; Application Development and Deployment | saas |
/arckit:sdd-lot2b |
| 3 Cloud Support | Managed services, FinOps, migration, security, testing, training, support | Cloud Support Services | cloud-support |
/arckit:sdd-lot3 |
The design records the lot on a **G-Cloud Lot**: Lot <code> — <name> line. A lot name from G-Cloud
14 ("Lot 1", "Lot 2") doesn't settle the choice, because each became two lots.
Inputs
| Input | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Service name | Creates or locates the service project |
| G-Cloud 15 lot | Selects the lot-specific questions and the SDD command |
Supplier profile (SUPP) |
Reuses company, certification, clearance and contact evidence |
| Service URL or existing listing | Supports citation-backed service facts |
Output Sections
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Service overview | Name (≤ 100 characters, name only), description (≤ 500 characters), lot and justification, the one category group (Root > Group) and first-pass categories under it, target buyers |
| Value proposition | Problem, solution, differentiators, competitive advantages |
| Features and benefits | ≤ 10 of each, ≤ 10 words each, with word counts |
| Supplier type | GCA's four reseller options, worded as listings show them ("Not a reseller", "Reseller (no extras)" and so on) with the Digital Platform's wording beside them |
| Lot-specific design | 1a/1b deployment, backups, separation, energy efficiency (1b: classification and SC/DV); 2a/2b add-on, interfaces, data formats, public sector networks; 3 category group, delivery, staff security and DDaT role levels |
| Technical architecture, support model | Data location, integrations, support channels and hours, AI chatbot |
| Pricing approach | The lot's pricing model (1a/1b price formula, 2a/2b discount bands, Lot 3 day rates) |
| Compliance, go-to-market, risks, action plan | Certifications by lot, search keywords, competitor search, pre-submission tasks |
Review Checklist
- The service name and description fit the G-Cloud 15 limits, and the name carries no extra keywords.
- Features and benefits are buyer-focused, evidence-backed and within 10 words each.
- The selected lot matches the service model; anything sold both as software and as support is two services.
- Every category sits under one category group (
Root > Group): no live G-Cloud 15 listing has categories in two groups, so an offer that spans groups (migration and managed cloud, say) is one service per group. - Anything unconfirmed is
[PENDING], not invented: every later document reuses this one.
Related Commands
/arckit:supplier-profile- Capture supplier-wide evidence first./arckit:sdd-lot1a,/arckit:sdd-lot1b,/arckit:sdd-lot2a,/arckit:sdd-lot2b,/arckit:sdd-lot3- Generate the SDD for the chosen lot./arckit:lot-questions- Lot questions, once per lot group bid for./arckit:social-value- Social value commitments, once per supplier./arckit:pricing- Price the service.