OCRE 2024

�GÉANT - GN5-2 WP4 Task 2 - SURF

Internet2 Cloud Forum, 21 May 2025

Michel Wets

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What is OCRE2024

• A pan-European Framework
• Covering 30.000 institute in 39 countries
• Allowing easy and quick access to cloud services from National, European and US platforms
• Without having to tender individually
• At discounted costs
• Using conditions needed by the Research & Education sector

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Why is GÉANT running these tenders

• The European R&E sector needs access to flexible infrastructure services
• With choice of platforms and services
• Cloud services and tenders are complex
• NRENs collaborate on project and procurements through GÉANT
• Aggregated procurement result in better conditions

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How did we end up here

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How did we end up here

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How did we end up here

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How did we end up here

Annual consumption�

140M USD over 2024

OCRE 2024 Scope, Contracts, Lots

Scope: IaaS+

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Framework

• 1 Lot per country
• Sub lots per platform
• Max 3 suppliers per sub lot
• No obligation to procure
• Contract value 2 B USD 

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How, Design principles

• Ensure it allows National, European and US suppliers to bid
• Lightweight tender with limited requirements
• Allowing supplier T&Cs to govern remaining issues
• Only 16 minimum requirements and 8 awarding criterea
• Resulting in General T&Cs (9 pages), Framework Agreement (14 pages) and Call-off Contracts (9 pages)
• Suppliers and NRENs supported by Central GÉANT contract management team
• Make using the tender outcomes really easy

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Structure of the tender

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Goal and key benefits of OCRE 2024

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Easy to use and compliant agreements. Fitting requirements of the R&E community

Safe data handling, GDPR compliant

Access to best in class suppliers and technologies. �Suppliers are continously monitored and managed

Services offered by suppliers are compatible with GÉANT infrastructure

Ease of doing business, reporting

Connectivity

• Peering Connection (Géant / NREN)
• Ingress fully waived
• Minimum Egress waiver caped at 15% of monthly consumption and exit support

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Pricing & Conditions

• Minimal discount 8% for User groups A&B
• Access to vendor’s senior management via GÉANT CMG
• Access to trainings and workshops on new technologies

Data Protection

• GDPR analysis updated yearly
• Information of data processing changes during contract
• No AI training with customer data
• Available standard GPA upon request

Set up of Cloud

• Identity Management
• Shared use across institutions
• BYOL
• Local support & trainings

Reporting

• Online Portal
• Split billing and E-invoicing / billing in local currency
• Security incident reporting

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16 Minimum requirements

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8 Awarding criteria

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Timeline and planning

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Scoring the monster tender….

• 496 bids
• Scored by 13 people from 8 countries
• Each working 3 days a week during 6 months
• Scoring in teams in consensus
• Automation was key, thousands of datapoints, auto generation award letters, motivation and the contracts
• Resulting in 416 FW Agreements signed and no objections

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Costs and Benefits

• Costs
• Total costs: tender, contract management, Strategic Vendor Management, NREN cloud community
• Benefits
• Not running individual tenders and discounts
• Economies of scale
• Individual tenders would not result in favourable conditions or discounts
• European scale enables unique access to platforms C level management and concessions.

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≈ 7 Mio USD

213 Mio USD

Tender effectiveness: 31X

Could we take this global?

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Top bun: tender procedure, scope, process ≈ 75%

Add up to 25% local toppings

Add up to 25% local toppings

Bottom bun: Contracts, ≈ 75% standard

Slide in the burger: minimum requirements and awarding criteria, globally identical

Coming to you in 2028 with ideally 5 countries/states in 5 continents

Takeaways

• National cloud frameworks are possible
• Cloud = Change, use abstract scope and limit requirements
• Perform market analyses and built platform relations before tender launches
• Get Buy-in and commitment of usage
• Less = More, use small team to create and score tender
• Make it very easy to use

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Thank you!

michel.wets@surf.nl