Workspace booking software for the UK public sector (2026) 

Workspace booking software lets staff book desks, meeting rooms and other spaces before they come in, and shows estates teams how each building is really used. For UK public sector organisations the shortlist usually starts on G-Cloud 15, because buying through the framework means you don't have to run your own tender. At least nine dedicated desk and room booking tools are listed there, including Clearooms, Matrix Booking, Cloudbooking and Kadence.

If you work for a council, a central government organisation or the NHS and you're looking for workspace booking software, this guide is for you.

Disclosure: We make Clearooms, which is one of the tools listed. We've described the others using their own G-Cloud listings, checked on 12 November 2026. Clearooms is listed first and the other tools follow in alphabetical order.

This guide is about booking desks and rooms for your own staff. If you need a system for residents to book halls, sports pitches or library rooms, that's a different kind of software.

What to check before you shortlist

Most tools can book a desk, so it's the extras a public body needs that set them apart. Check these:

• Is it on G-Cloud 15? If not, you'll need another route to buy it, which usually means more time and paperwork.
• Security and data. Ask for the supplier's Cyber Essentials Plus certificate, where the data is held, whether it's encrypted, and for the sub-processor list. You'll need these for your data protection impact assessment.
• Sign-in and accounts. Single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID (or Google) and SCIM, so accounts are created and removed with your directory. Check whether these are included or charged as extras.
• How the price grows. Hybrid offices have more staff than desks. Per-user pricing goes up with headcount; per-desk or per-room pricing goes up only with the space you manage.
• Several sites and shared buildings. Can it handle all your buildings in one system? If you share a building with the NHS, police or another public body, can each organisation keep its own records?
• Meeting and committee rooms. Outlook integration, a screen outside each room, set-up time between meetings, and limits on who can book important rooms, such as committee rooms or the boardroom.
• Visitors and fire safety. Visitor sign-in and a live roll call for evacuations, ideally in the same system as desks and rooms.
• Accessibility and language. Can you mark accessible desks and keep them for the people who need them? Welsh public bodies may need the system in Welsh.
• Reports for estate reviews. Use by building, floor and day of the week, bookings against check-ins, and exports you can share.

Workspace booking software on G-Cloud 15

We searched G-Cloud 15 for "desk booking" on 12 November 2026. These are the dedicated desk and room booking services we found. What each one covers is taken from its own listing; prices are in each listing's pricing document. For prices and a wider comparison, see our best desk booking software list.

Some well-known tools weren't on G-Cloud 15 when we checked, including Skedda, deskbird, OfficeRnD, YAROOMS and Archie. If you need full facilities and estate management rather than booking, larger suites such as Spacewell, MRI Workplace Central, FM:Systems and Archibus are also listed, as is Microsoft Places through partners.

How to evaluate hot desking in a public sector organisation

Hot desking changes how people work, so it pays to test it properly before you commit:

1. Agree what success looks like: for example, fewer desks per floor, or one building released at the next lease break.
2. Complete the data protection impact assessment early. Booking data shows who is in the office and when, so your data protection officer will want to see it.
3. Pilot with one team or floor for a few weeks, with check-in switched on so unused bookings are released.
4. Look after people with fixed needs. Keep accessible desks and specialist set-ups for the people who need them.
5. Talk to staff and unions before launch, and explain why it's happening.
6. Use the data at your next estate review. Bookings against check-ins show how many desks you really need.

Booking meeting rooms across several sites

Public bodies often have meeting rooms spread over offices, depots and civic buildings. A few things make that manageable:

• Rooms that appear in Outlook, so people book the way they already do.
• A screen outside each room showing whether it's free, with check-in so no-shows release the room.
• Set-up and clean-down time between meetings, which matters for committee rooms and anything with catering.
• Rules on who can book which rooms, such as committee rooms or rooms kept for partner organisations.
• Reports by site, so you can see which buildings have rooms to spare.

Buying through G-Cloud

G-Cloud is a Government Commercial Agency framework of pre-approved cloud suppliers. Public bodies can buy from it without running their own tender. In short:

1. Write down what you need: number of sites, desks and rooms, integrations and security requirements.
2. Search the Digital Marketplace using those requirements and save your search.
3. Compare the listings and their service definition and pricing documents, and ask suppliers clarification questions.
4. Award a call-off contract to the service that best meets your needs.

Your own procurement rules still apply, so check with your procurement team. There's more on our G-Cloud page.

Clearooms for the public sector

Clearooms has customers across local councils, the NHS and other public bodies, including Ceredigion County Council, Breckland District Council and Rutland County Council. It handles desks, meeting rooms and parking in one system, priced per desk, room and parking space rather than per employee, with published prices.

• Included as standard: single sign-on, SCIM, Outlook, Google and Microsoft Teams integrations, and Paxton Net2 and Salto access control.
• Security: Cyber Essentials Plus, hosted on AWS in Ireland, encrypted in transit and at rest.
• Visitors and fire safety: one sign-in kiosk for visitors, contractors and couriers, a live fire roll call on the fire marshal's phone, and separate records for each organisation in a shared building.
• Openspaces: publish rooms or desks that sit empty on your own website, so local groups and businesses can book and pay online through Stripe or PayPal. It shares Clearooms' calendar, so nothing is double-booked.
• Welsh: the platform is available in Welsh.
• Buying: on G-Cloud 15, with a free 30-day trial and a UK support team.

You can read how the Ombudsman for Children uses Clearooms, or our interview with our founders on hybrid working in the public sector. See more on our public sector page.

Workspace booking software for the public sector: FAQs

• Which desk booking software is on G-Cloud 15?

  Dedicated desk and room booking tools on G-Cloud 15 include Clearooms, askAiB, Bondap, Cloudbooking, GoBright (through a reseller), Kadence, Matrix Booking and WiggleDesk. Eptura is available through Jones Lang LaSalle. We checked on 12 November 2026; search the Digital Marketplace for the current list.

• Can councils buy desk booking software without a tender?

  Yes, if the software is on G-Cloud 15. The framework is a pre-approved route, so you can compare listings and award a call-off contract without running your own tender. Your organisation's own procurement rules still apply.

• Is per-user pricing a problem for large public bodies?

  It can be. In a hybrid office there are usually more staff than desks, so per-user pricing rises with headcount even if the building stays the same. Per-desk or per-room pricing follows the space you manage instead.

• What's the best meeting room system for a council committee room?

  One that works with Outlook, shows a screen outside the room, adds set-up time before and after meetings, and lets you limit who can book it. If the public attend, visitor sign-in and a fire roll call in the same system help too.