Public Sector Consulting Firms

First they ditched Microsoft. Next comes Google. Then Meta. Europe’s quiet tech revolution has begun — and it’s about sovereignty, not software. Ive adressed this several times before and its now in motion. U.S. tech dominance in European government IT is eroding fast: 🇩🇪 Schleswig-Holstein: migrating 30,000 public workers off Microsoft Office & Windows to Linux + German cloud. 🇩🇰 Danish Digitalisation Agency: abandoning Microsoft Office for LibreOffice; pushing local hosting over Azure. 🇳🇱 Dutch Ministry of Justice: banned U.S. cloud services for sensitive data since 2022. 🇫🇷 French public sector: deploying open-source alternatives to Teams and Google Docs. 🇸🇪 Sweden, tensions are rising: the Tax Agency wants to move sensitive data to Microsoft’s cloud — but the Enforcement Authority says it may violate secrecy laws. Why? Because 98% of Europe’s public digital infrastructure is run by foreign tech — mostly U.S. giants under the CLOUD Act. ✅ That means Washington can legally demand access to European public data, even if stored in EU datacenters. ✅ EU’s cybersecurity agency calls it for what it is “strategic vulnerability.” ✅ A 2024 poll found 73% of EU IT leaders are actively seeking to de-risk U.S. dependencies. Eurostack. This is a pan-European initiative led by Cristina Caffarra to replace U.S. digital platforms in public administration: ✅ Not just Microsoft and Google Workspace. ✅ Also YouTube, Meta, Zoom, and Slack — all under scrutiny. ✅ Target: public sector communications, citizen platforms, school systems, internal messaging. ✅ Think “Schengen for cloud” — where data stays in Europe, under European control. The implications are massive: ✅ €52 billion/year of public IT contracts could shift to EU-owned platforms. ✅ European open source and cloud industries gain strategic funding. ✅ Social media platforms face new barriers in education, governance, and public media. ✅ U.S. leverage over Europe — via digital kill switches — begins to fade. The next time you hear “It’s just about productivity tools,” remember: You can’t outsource your tech stack and still claim you’re sovereign. 🇪🇺 EU has finally woken up 🙏 . The U.S. cloud party in Brussels is hopefully finally over. And there are plenty of EU companies that can do this soooo much better

You don't get many opportunities to build a national platform from a blank sheet of paper. We worked on a programme that started with exactly that challenge. There was no existing technology estate to inherit. No established processes to refine. Just a ministerial deadline, highly sensitive data and the expectation that the platform would eventually support tens of thousands of cases without compromising security or public trust. The first priority wasn't writing code. It was creating an operating model that people could rely on. We built the platform around repeatability from day one. Infrastructure was deployed as code so every environment could be recreated consistently. A governed data catalogue established a single source of truth. Role-based access controls and a Zero Trust approach ensured the right people had access to the right information at the right time. Analytics weren't left until the end. Operational dashboards were introduced early so delivery teams could measure progress as the platform evolved rather than after it had gone live. The team was mobilised in just nine days. The platform was delivered within a three-month ministerial timetable. Most importantly, it created a secure, AI-ready foundation that can support future automation instead of needing another major rebuild a few years later. Technology projects often focus on what gets delivered. The longer-lasting value usually comes from building a foundation that future teams can keep improving with confidence. How often do transformation programmes invest enough time in designing the operating model before they start designing the technology? #DigitalTransformation #PublicSector #Cloud

How the UK Government is planning to adopt AI: "The new digital centre will catalyse change across the public sector. It will: • Build on the work of the Incubator for AI to provide rapid prototyping and innovation, identifying and buying or building solutions focused on public sector productivity including customer service, casework, prevention and policy work, working with other departments and public bodies who will continue to deliver the majority of AI solutions. • Offer specialist assurance support, including a service to rigorously test models and products before release. • Create an external Responsible AI Advisory Panel and a dedicated in-house team. The Panel will bring together expert insight from the public sector (including frontline workers), industry, academia and civil society groups to provide constructive challenge and advice, and shape standards based on best practice. • Build and regularly convene AI and data communities of practice across the public sector, to further shape our response to fast growing technology, and support practitioners across government by providing expert advice on AI and reusable technical solutions. • Build up a strong technical market intelligence capability to inform procurement and design decisions, recognising that AI and its uses are evolving rapidly. • Develop a sourcing and procurement framework for AI, including rapid procurement and mission-focused national tenders."

Digital public procurement in Ireland shows promising foundations: a mature use of e-procurement systems and a supportive policy framework that encourages the use of data and the digital transformation of government processes and services. The Recommendation invites governments: 🔰 to employ recent digital technology developments covering the public procurement cycle to ensure transparency and access to public tenders, increasing competition, simplifying contract award and management processes, driving cost savings and integrating public procurement and public finance information. 🔰 to pursue state-of-the-art digital procurement tools that are modular, flexible, scalable and secure to assure business continuity, privacy and integrity, provide fair treatment and protect sensitive data while supplying the core capabilities and functions that allow business innovation. The Recommendation also encourages governing and using digital tools and data for human-centred and data-driven service design and delivery and policymaking across different policy areas, including public procurement, by: 🔰 defining strategic instruments that guide digital government reforms, fostering alignment across different sectors and promoting broad stakeholder participation and engagement. 🔰 securing leadership and political commitment that promotes a coherent use of digital technologies and establishes effective organisational and governance frameworks to coordinate implementation. 🔰 establishing policy instruments and mechanisms that support coherent and strategic decision-making, implementation and monitoring of investments in digital technologies across the public sector. OECD - OCDE - funded by the European Union #digitaltransformation #digitaldisruption #eprocurement #procurement #publicsector #govtech #government #data #datainfrastructure #ai #supplychain #businessmodelinnovation #ireland

Make writing a proposal for research funding easy. Here is how. There is a tendency to rapidly begin filling in the parts of the application form as soon as possible. With a deadline looming, I used to ask all the partners in a consortium project to state filling in their work packages right away after the first meeting. I had a sooner the better mentality. My plan would be that once we had work packages written I would piece them together. The result. Frankenstein projects. Work packages that did not align, and objectives that sounded like they were each describing different projects. It was a writing nightmare. I was trying sew different ideas together. Reviewers see stitches. Like a good scientific paper, a funding proposal has to have a good logical flow. I now realize that the panicked approach I took previously to funding proposal development is not how to do it. It is much better to be 100% certain of the concept. Then write. For some projects this happens very quickly. Other projects take much more time. Sometimes what you are aiming to do is just complicated and full of uncertainties. Take that time. For scientific papers an outline works. For funding proposals the first step is to get all those involved aligned on the concept. This is not to say you don't write anything at all. To the contrary writing is a way to think. But you need to build up the layers. 1️⃣ Describe the problem and what you will do on a high level. 2️⃣ Then the impacts, outcomes and outputs you intend to have 3️⃣ Then the methods. ➡️ Methods are where you often uncover subtleties and problems that were not apparent at first. You need to solve those problems and the accompanying doubts before you can really begin to write. 4️⃣ Then you can build a project plan. Not before. "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." -Abraham Lincoln Take the time to get the concept right, then write. 

When disaster strikes, every second counts. Traditional emergency response relies on human coordination, which can be overwhelmed in rapidly evolving situations. But what if we could empower responders with intelligence that predicts, adapts, and guides decisions in real-time? AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it's a critical tool enhancing emergency management today. From predicting wildfire spread in Australia's bushfire seasons to optimizing evacuation routes during floods in Pakistan, AI-powered solutions are transforming how we react to crises. How AI is revolutionizing emergency response: Predictive Analytics: AI models analyze vast datasets to forecast disaster trajectories, allowing for earlier warnings and more precise resource deployment. Real-time Decision Support: Algorithms can process live sensor data, social media feeds, and weather patterns to provide commanders with actionable insights, optimizing resource allocation and saving critical time. Automated Communication: AI can rapidly disseminate hyperlocal alerts, translate urgent messages, and even manage initial public inquiries, ensuring communities receive vital information swiftly. Optimized Logistics: AI can identify the fastest routes for emergency vehicles, manage supply chains for relief efforts, and prioritize aid distribution based on real-time needs. This integration of artificial intelligence empowers emergency managers to make smarter, faster, and more effective decisions, turning chaos into a controlled response. Is your emergency response strategy leveraging the power of AI? Explore how intelligent solutions can enhance your readiness.

🧠 AI in Government: It’s Not Just Tech — It’s a Transformation of People, Purpose & Trust The call is clear: governments must adopt AI — fast — to improve mission outcomes, public services, and operational effectiveness. But success won’t come from technology alone. It comes from leadership, culture, strategy, and trust. From our just released "Reimagining Government: Achieving the Promise of AI", here are the core principles every public-sector leader should internalize: → AI transformation is first a human challenge. Technical tools matter — but culture, skills, and mindset matter more. Invest equally in people as you do in tech. → Think in portfolios, not isolated projects. Strategic, integrated planning helps avoid redundancy, accelerate impact, and align efforts with mission goals. → Balance innovation & accountability. Innovation without risk awareness can harm trust — but risk controls without innovation stifle progress. Successful advocates manage both. → Partnerships are essential. No agency can go it alone — internal collaboration, external vendors, and human-AI teaming are all foundational. → Leadership must evolve. Emerging roles like Chief Innovation & Transformation Officers bridge mission alignment, culture shifts, tech oversight, and operational excellence. → Use maturity models wisely — but don’t let them slow you. Understand your baseline, but accelerate where feasible to lead, not lag. 📌 Bottom Line: AI isn’t about replacing people — it’s about empowering public-servants, enhancing decision-making, and strengthening public trust. The agencies that succeed will be the ones that treat AI as transformation work, not just procurement work.  Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eYiBZ4mF. --- "Reimagining Government" is published by Post Hill Press, distributed by Simon & Schuster, and now available for preorder from all book retailers - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Inc., Hudson Booksellers, and many others. → Find your retailer (print, e-book, or audio-version) here - https://lnkd.in/ehk2WrCn. → For related research papers, articles & coverage (on Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, etc.), and podcasts, visit - https://lnkd.in/emDzGbYA. ➤ ALL PROCEEDS FROM OUR BOOKS ARE PLEDGED TO CANCER RESEARCH.

🚀 Grantwriting post 🚀 Imagine your reviewer or panel/committee member. It's 9 PM, the night before the review meeting. They've got a toddler on their lap, a glass of wine in one hand, and your proposal in the other. They've been interrupted 5 times while reading and they need to get through 9 more proposals before going to sleep. Can they understand what you want to do? No? Make. It. Simpler. Over the past few months I've been reviewing grants for Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the Research Council of Finland | Suomen Akatemia, and the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. Submitting a grant takes an enormous amount of effort, but so many fail simply because **the reviewers can't understand what you want to do.** A few suggestions applicable to almost any grant ➡️ 1️⃣ Include a sentence saying, "The goal of this project is ________." Ideally make it the first sentence of your abstract and your proposal, but at minimum put it in the first paragraph. If you can't state your goal in one sentence, refine it until you can. 2️⃣ Remove all acronyms. If it's less recognizable than "HIV" or "DNA," then spell it out every time. Acronyms can hopelessly muddle an otherwise strong proposal. 3️⃣ Start with *simplicity* then add *complexity.* First, write a half-length version of your proposal in an extremely simple way that an educated layperson could understand, and test it on a few people. When that's done, use what you wrote as header sentences/paragraphs, and add all the technical details below them. Now, each reviewer can easily skim past the parts outside their field, while still understanding the big picture. 4️⃣ List the central elements of your proposal, then REPEAT THEM. This is important for methods, e.g. - humans or mice? study design? case and control definition? recruitment strategy? sample size? statistical approach? These key facts (without details) can be repeated in the abstract, end of background, methods (here, include the details), and assessment of threats/weaknesses. If you repeat them with perfect consistency, your reviewer will understand what you want to do, and feel reassured that you have a clear plan. Happy grantwriting ✍ 😊

I was chatting with one of our Salesforce partners last week, and realized, the playbook that works in commercial doesn't quite work for the public sector. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹: Build urgency to close the deal 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿: Budget was allocated 18 months ago. You're not creating urgency. You are aligning to budget cycles that started before you showed up. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹: Find the pain, sell the solution 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿: Pain isn't enough. You need to fix the broken arm, not the headache. Price, compliance, transparency, and audit trails matter more than features. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹: Show ROI → Close the champion 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿: Champions can't buy alone. You need committee consensus, procurement sign-off, and sometimes public board approval. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹: Control the timeline 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿: The timeline controls you. RFPs, public comment periods, budget freezes, you're working around their calendar, not yours. The partners who struggle in public sector? They keep running the commercial playbook and wonder why it's not working. #PublicSector #GovTech #Sales #GTM #Leadership #agentforce