City of Trenton

Across the country, local government tends to be ten years behind the private sector in implementing and updating their technology that fits the needs of their employees and the public. In recent years the gov-tech community has grown with the startup sector starting to provide gov-technology solutions for many of the services and processes within local governments. Each month dozens of new companies are pitching their solutions and ideas to local government decision makers. As a current administrator of a small city, I felt many of these new Govtech companies are walking in without a basic understanding of how local government works. For a government to change, no matter how small or large, the uphill climb to any technology adoption is daunting. The default is often to stick with current antiquated solutions even when it might not be the most efficient option. Innovation and the standard disruption method of many startups that may work within the private sector is a lot harder to sustain in local government, especially when politicians come and go, with what government may see as a priority, the next one may see as an unneeded expense. Thus, here are ten tips for interested and new tech companies that they might want to consider before approaching local governments with their solutions.

"Government tends not to like significant changes, so making a process easier or similar to current practices is encouraged"

1) Find a Champion

When approaching a local government, target potential users, or at least make sure one of them is in the pitch meeting. For instance, if you pitch a constituent tracking solution, you should look to the public information officer or constituent relations office, rather than the business admin or Mayors office. Without a champion or someone within the department that would utilize your solution, rarely will your product be seriously considered. Someone has to guide the use and integration of your solution.

2) Be Prepared

Local government officials may not be Venture capitalists, but their time is as valuable. If you can't describe and show how effective your product is within 5-10 mins, the effort of your potential champion is lost.

3) Target Outsourced Contracts

It is essential to show cost comparison to current processes and target services currently being outsourced. Local governments overpay for these services (web services, digitizing documents, financial services, etc.). Many of these contracts for technology solutions may be legacy systems with maintenance contracts of outdated tech solutions.

4) Simple Design

Make it simple; drag and drop, large print/buttons (average age of a government employee is 46 years old; the less training, the better. If customer-focused, it needs to be mobile friends and or accessible through Facebook. Facebook has become the new town-hall and go-to for most government info for constituents.

5) Enhance not Replace

Enhance services and solutions, not replace them. Government tends not to like significant changes, so making a process easier or similar to current practices is encouraged. Seemless Docs is a company that understands this concept by providing a digital version of commonly used digital forms. They don’t change the look and purpose of the document but instead make it easier for the user to organize and input data.

6) Gov-tech Platform

A government platform with basic free services, something cities can build on. This service solution can be anything from constituent tracking to budget transparency but a platform that provides a needed solution that otherwise, they would need to pay. Getting a government hooked on a free services platform makes it easier for them to procure modules and additional programs for cost. Local governments like one-stop shopping as the procurement process tends to be easier if dealing with one vendor. OpenGov and GovPilot are two good examples of this method.

7) Understand Procurement Options

Understand the local government or the State’s procurement laws and processes. Every State is different in its bid thresholds and how they can purchase products. Simple one-time payments and subscriptions are easier sells to governing bodies, especially if tied to cost-savings or efficiency.

8) Paying for Cloud-Based Solutions

Buying cloud-based systems are expensive, and in many states, cannot be procured with capital expenditures or bonds. It is crucial to provide alternative financing options if not out-of-box; possibly three months free with possible cost-sharing options, similar to many energy efficiency deals, payment comes from the savings in whichever system you are replacing.

9) Being a Minority Woman Business (MWBE)

If you are a minority and women business, you should let the local government know. Many local governments have set-asides for MWBE’s, especially in technology where the number of MWBE firms is limited.

10) Agile Methodology Solutions

Propose Agile Methodology for larger government tech projects and system replacements. Showing Agile solutions shows decision makers that daunting large tech projects can be broken up into smaller, more manageable sections to understand better what solution is best for each government.