Swiss Government Cloud tender: what the three lots tell buyers
The Swiss Government Cloud tender buys three sovereignty tiers over 14 years. What each lot requires, the dates to 2027 and how to tier your own workloads now.
The Swiss Government Cloud (SGC) tender went out on simap on 20 October 2026: the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT, BIT in German) is putting up to CHF 7 billion of optional volume over 14 years into three lots, and no provider may win more than one. The lots run from a global public cloud, through a public cloud that keeps data in Switzerland and uses open-source solutions, to a private cloud in the federal data centres: the more sensitive the application, the closer to home its data stays. Applications to prequalify are due by 18 December 2026, and the FOITT expects the awards in late summer 2027.
This post covers each lot, what is decided and what is disputed, the dates, who may use the SGC and how to tier your own workloads.
What does the Swiss Government Cloud tender cover?
The notice (Ausschreibung) “(25002) 609 Swiss Government Cloud”, which the FOITT calls “WTO 25002 609 Swiss Government Cloud”, is project 45894 on simap (publication 45894-01, 20 October 2026) and, since 21 October 2026, notice 728949-2026 on TED. The Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (FOBL) runs it for the FOITT as a selective procedure under Article 19 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA).
The simap notice defines the lots by where data is kept; the volumes are the FOITT’s:
| Lot | Name | Data location | Awards | Maximum volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Public cloud, global reach | Global data storage | 2 | CHF 2 billion |
| 2 | Public cloud, enhanced data governance | Stored and processed exclusively in Switzerland | 2 | CHF 2 billion |
| 3 | Private cloud, on premises | Stored and processed exclusively at the requesting office’s locations (the federal data centres) | 1 | CHF 3 billion |
The CHF 7 billion is a ceiling, not a budget: the FOITT’s SGC page says it “should not be equated with costs” and that users will generally pay only for what they consume. Building the SGC costs CHF 319.4 million, including the FOITT’s own work and investments; the commitment credit Parliament approved is CHF 246.9 million. That excludes using the cloud and migrating applications, which the offices that use it pay for, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (EFK) notes in audit 25155, published on 3 December 2025.
Each award runs for seven years, after which the market is reopened, and the total contract duration is 14 years, so that applications can run at least seven years including migration. The simap framework term runs from 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2034, and individual contracts may run up to 84 months beyond it.
The FOITT says the tender takes into account directive W012 on digital sovereignty. As of 21 October 2026, federal offices obtain public cloud services through Public Clouds Bund (WTO 20007); the FOITT calls the SGC “the next stage”.
What do the three lots say about sovereignty and open source?
Beyond location, the texts say how the software is run: for lot 2, the release says “Open source solutions are used”; for lot 3, the FOITT says “operational autonomy can be ensured as necessary”.
Parliament added these terms itself. The Federal Council’s draft decree (BBl 2024 1409) contained only the credit; the decree adopted on 16 December 2024 (BBl 2025 1334) adds a purpose clause, which the FOITT says the tender fulfils. The SGC is to reduce dependence on individual providers and jurisdictions and, when needed, ensure that the private cloud can in fact operate autonomously (Art. 1(2)(a) and (b)). Its procurements are to prefer, where possible, open standards, open-source software and companies based in Switzerland (Art. 1(4)). Neither text has an English version; the renderings are ours. The FOITT’s June 2025 fact sheet (in German, translation ours) defines that autonomy: if needed, the private cloud keeps running for a defined period without support from external partners.
The lot limitation (Article 32(3) PPA) applies the same logic to suppliers: five awards, each to a different tenderer, “to spread outage and security risks across several tenderers, increase security of supply and reduce dependence on individual tenderers”, the simap notice says.
Naming open source for lot 2 is new: the June 2025 fact sheet described the Swiss tier without it. The tender documents, not the public notice, turn that wording into eligibility or award criteria. The public texts say nothing about open source for lot 3, but the decree’s open-source preference covers every SGC procurement, and lot 3 is where operational autonomy is at stake.
Who can bid, and what is disputed?
Decided in the simap notice. Consortia are not permitted. Subcontractors are, but the tenderer keeps overall responsibility and generally provides the characteristic supply itself. A tenderer and its related undertakings may be prequalified for, bid for and win only one lot, and may not also act as another tenderer’s subcontractor, except for ancillary supply. At most four tenderers will be prequalified for each of lots 1 and 2, and three for lot 3. In lots 2 and 3, a successful tenderer that belongs to a group needs a parent-company guarantee of up to CHF 10 million, and a lot 2 application must also be signed by the parent company’s CEO.
Reported and disputed. Digitale Gesellschaft wrote on 20 October 2026 that lots 1 and 3 set a turnover threshold of 500 million a year and that, with the ban on consortia, this disadvantages Swiss and European providers. The consortium ban is in simap; the turnover figure is not in the public notice. Digitale Gesellschaft also regrets that open source is to be mandatory only at level II, and asks for it at level III.
Joining forces. In an SRF interview published on 21 October 2026, Matthias Stürmer, head of the Research Centre for Digital Sustainability at the University of Bern, said (in German, summary ours) that firms can join forces: one acts as main applicant and draws on the others’ services, so a Swiss consortium could apply efficiently. Under the simap notice, that is subcontracting, which is allowed; a joint application by a consortium is not.
Swiss Government Cloud timeline: what is decided and what is planned
As of 21 October 2026:
| Date | Step | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 16 December 2024 | Federal decree: commitment credit and purpose clause | Decided |
| 20 October 2026 | Tender published on simap | Decided |
| 9 November 2026 | Last day for questions in the simap forum | Set in the notice |
| 18 December 2026, 23:59 CET | Participation applications due | Set in the notice |
| After prequalification | Tenders due 60 days after the invitation to tender | Set in the notice |
| Late summer 2027 | Awards and contracts, if no objections with suspensive effect | Planned |
| 1 September 2027 | Framework term starts | Set in the notice |
| Late autumn 2027 | First call-offs | Planned |
| 2027 to 2030 | Migration from the FOITT’s current platforms | Planned (EFK) |
| 2032 | Programme completed | Planned |
| 31 August 2034 | Framework term ends | Set in the notice |
Can cantons, communes and companies use the Swiss Government Cloud?
Cantons and communes: yes, if they want to. The decree lets the SGC serve them at cost-covering prices, under agreements concluded by the Federal Department of Finance (Art. 1(5)), and the FOITT says they may benefit “if they are interested”. Nothing obliges them to. Cantons can also act alone: on 1 October 2026, Geneva’s parliament asked its government for a free-software pilot in two or three administrative entities (motion M 3248).
Federal offices: not obliged either. In its audit published on 3 December 2025, the EFK noted that “use of the SGC is not currently defined as mandatory”.
Companies: no. “No services will be provided for the private sector via the SGC,” the FOITT says. Banks, insurers and law firms need their own answer; the tier model is worth copying.
Why tier your own workloads now?
The lesson is the order of operations: the Confederation classifies first and picks a supplier second. Under Public Clouds Bund, the Federal Chancellery says, a provider is chosen only “if public cloud use is permitted for the intended application and its data”, and the office decides how to use it “based on a protection requirement analysis”. The Federal Chancellery’s directive W012, which applies to ICT projects of the central federal administration started from 1 January 2026, states the principle (translation ours): the more directly a state task depends on a digital resource, the higher the requirements for digital sovereignty. Its worked example asks questions any organisation can reuse: whether the product can be replaced within a reasonable time, and how the administration can make sure it can run the application itself or change provider if needed.
Where open source fits. With an open-source app, the code is open to inspect, modify and run, and the data, formats and configuration stay yours to reuse and hand over: the same app runs in a Swiss region, on your premises or air-gapped, and another operator or your own team can take it over. A proprietary service runs where, and on the terms, its vendor offers it; even an on-premises edition depends on the vendor for its licence and updates. Data location can be bought from a vendor; running without that vendor cannot. That is why operational autonomy is easiest to meet with open source. The EMBAG already requires federal bodies to disclose the source code of software they develop or commission, unless third-party rights or security reasons rule it out.
Autonomy needs operations, not only a licence. Running without the supplier means someone patches the software, keeps backups in the tier’s location and proves they restore. At federal level, the EFK’s Microsoft 365 audit, published on 21 October 2026, recommends a local backup environment with regular restore tests, because the federal architecture guidelines call for restores that do not depend on the cloud provider (recommendation 4; the report is in German, translation ours).
Fair to the global tier. Lot 1 exists because some workloads benefit from global scale: tiering matches each workload to the control it needs. And who operates the machine, and who holds the keys, matters as much as where it sits (CLOUD Act and your data location).
What to do, and by when
The SGC dates come from the FOITT; the rest is our suggested timetable.
- By 31 December 2026, classify. For each application, decide whether its data may be stored anywhere (tier I), must be stored and processed only in Switzerland (tier II), or must stay on your premises and keep running for a defined period without the supplier (tier III, the federal test for operational autonomy). Base it on your protection-needs analysis and the law that applies to you, and record it per application.
- By 31 March 2027, map tiers II and III. Record who operates each application, which jurisdiction reaches that operator, where its backups are, and whether an open-source equivalent could run in Switzerland or on premises (questions to ask).
- By 30 June 2027, run one workload on software you control. Pick one tier II or III service (file sharing, chat, identity or an AI assistant), run it in Switzerland or on premises, and prove one restore and one full export.
- From late summer 2027, decide on the SGC (cantons and communes). Once the awards are published, compare the call-off terms with what you already run. Plan no migration that depends on SGC call-offs before late autumn 2027.
- At every renewal and tender, copy the federal design, and the exit it implies. Bounded terms with the market reopened, a named data location per tier, no application that only one supplier could run, exit in open formats and tested restores (exit plans; for EU cloud contracts, switching charges end on 12 January 2027 under Article 29 of the Data Act).
Regulated companies can follow steps 1 to 3 and 5.
How Pilae fits
The Confederation spreads its risk across five suppliers. Most organisations do not buy at that scale, and can get the same protection from the software: when every app is open source and its data and configuration come back in open formats, the operator can be replaced without replacing the software. Pilae operates open-source and source-available apps on your premises, on air-gapped sites or on dedicated machines in Pilae Cloud in Switzerland and the EU.
- Each app in its tier. Placement is chosen per app, on your premises or in Pilae Cloud, and named in your contract; an app moves only with your written approval (hybrid).
- Switzerland only, in writing. For a public body, the contract names Switzerland as the only location for apps, backups and logs, on your premises or in Zurich (public sector). Zurich runs in ISO 27001-certified data centres (regions).
- On your premises, or with no outbound connection. On your premises, the control plane receives health signals and deployment status, never application data (on premises); air-gapped sites receive signed releases through your transfer process (air-gapped).
- Backups that prove recovery. Daily, encrypted before they leave and stored offsite in the country you choose; on the Enterprise plan, a restore test every month is recorded in the console (backups).
- Operational autonomy you can exercise. Every app we operate is open source or source-available (each app’s licence is named on its page), and your data, configuration and runbooks are handed over in open formats, so another operator or your own team can take over without rebuilding (exit plan).
Your own tiering can start before the federal awards, with one workload. Talk to an engineer: we go through your applications, the tier each one needs and where it should run.
This post is general information, not legal advice. For the official texts, read the tender notice on simap (project 45894) and the federal decree BBl 2025 1334 on Fedlex.