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Wow! Just took a look at the pricing page[^1]. This seems like a very expensive service. What makes it cost so much in comparison to what we see in the private sector? There's some info here[^2], but it's pretty general.

[1]: https://cloud.gov/overview/pricing/rates/

[2]: https://cloud.gov/overview/pricing/pricing-model/

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The TL;DR answer is that compliance in the government is expensive (for example, the gov't can require companies to maintain amended terms of service[1]). There are many vendors who choose not to work with government for that reason and its one reason the government ends up paying more for services.

Edit to add this link to a place in a video explaining more about compliance.[2]

[1]: https://www.digitalgov.gov/resources/negotiated-terms-of-ser...

[2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwOG3BrdODo&t=1m30s

Cloud.gov services can only be purchased by federal agencies. The pricing ensures that it is a cost-recoverable service. I for one am happy to see my tax dollars moved out of other federal agencies and into USDS.

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