Government Software Development

Challenges in government software

• Paper and PDF forms that residents must print, sign and mail
• Case files spread across email, spreadsheets and legacy systems
• Websites and services that fail accessibility requirements
• Ageing systems that only a few staff know how to maintain
• Strict security, procurement and records-retention rules

Software we build for government

Compliance and security

We build the technical controls these rules require and work with your compliance and legal advisers, who confirm obligations.

Systems we integrate with

How we work with public agencies

Public-sector work is bought through formal procurement. We do not claim government contract vehicles or certifications we do not hold. Instead we work in the ways agencies and their primes commonly use: as a subcontractor to a prime contractor, through the small-purchase or cooperative procurement routes an agency already uses, or directly for local bodies whose rules allow it.

We work inside the agency’s environment and policies — its approved cloud, identity provider, change-management process and security plan — and provide the documentation that security and accessibility reviews require.

Accessible and usable by everyone

• Plain-language content and forms that ask only what is needed
• Keyboard and screen-reader testing alongside automated checks
• Mobile-first design — many residents use only a phone
• Save-and-return for long applications
• Multilingual support where the community needs it

Accessibility is tested throughout development, not audited at the end. See accessibility testing.

Modernising a legacy system in stages

Many agencies depend on systems built decades ago in technologies few people still maintain. Replacing them in one go is risky: requirements are often embedded in code nobody fully understands, and a failed cut-over can stop a public service. A staged approach is safer.

1. Discover

   Document what the current system really does, including the rules hidden in its code and the reports staff rely on.

2. Wrap

   Put an API layer around the old system so new services can read and write data without changing it.

3. Replace by function

   Move one function at a time — for example online applications, then case assignment, then reporting — to the new platform.

4. Retire

   Migrate remaining data under the agency’s retention rules and switch off the old system once nothing depends on it.

Throughout, staff and residents keep a working service, and each stage delivers something useful on its own.

Security and documentation reviews

Agency security reviews expect clear evidence. We provide system architecture and data-flow diagrams, a description of how each relevant control in the agency’s security plan is implemented, dependency and vulnerability scan results, accessibility conformance reports and runbooks for operations and incident response. Code lives in repositories the agency can access, and we hand over everything needed for another team to maintain the system — avoiding the vendor lock-in that has made many public systems hard to change.

Where an independent assessment is required, we support the assessor rather than certifying our own work.

A reference architecture for public-sector digital services

Government services usually span a public-facing front end, case-management or line-of-business systems, document storage and identity. A modern architecture keeps the public front end lightweight and accessible, routes everything through documented APIs, and leaves records in the agency’s systems of record.

The agency, its prime contractor or its authorising official decides on hosting and security authorisation; we build to fit those decisions. See legacy modernization and web portals.

Walkthrough: replacing a paper or PDF application

1. Discovery with staff and residents2–3 weeks

   Observe how applications arrive and are processed today; interview applicants, including people who use assistive technology.

2. Rewrite the form in plain language1–2 weeks

   Remove questions the agency already knows or does not need; split the rest into short, logical steps.

3. Prototype and usability test2–3 weeks

   Test clickable prototypes with real applicants and screen-reader users, then refine.

4. Build, integrate and document6–12 weeks

   Develop the service, connect it to case management, and produce the security and accessibility documentation reviewers need.

5. Run in parallel, then switch4–8 weeks

   Keep the old route available while the digital service proves itself, then retire it.

Timelines are typical; procurement, security review and authorisation steps vary widely between agencies.

Build or buy for government systems

Common mistakes and questions to settle first

• Digitising a confusing paper form exactly as it is
• Testing accessibility only with automated tools at the end
• Big-bang replacement of a legacy system with no parallel running
• Unclear ownership of content and rules after launch
• Collecting more personal data than the service requires

Useful questions before work begins: Which procurement route and prime contractor, if any, will the work run through? Which hosting environment and security authorisation apply? Who approves accessibility conformance? What records retention rules cover the data? Which staff teams will run the service day to day?

Measuring whether a public service works

Public services are judged by outcomes for residents, not by launch dates. Before building, we agree a small set of measures with the agency and design the service to record them from day one, without collecting unnecessary personal data.

These measures support budget conversations and continuous improvement. They also help identify residents the digital route is not serving well, so assisted channels can be kept and improved rather than withdrawn.

Open standards and avoiding lock-in

Agencies often inherit systems that are hard to change because the data and code are controlled by a single vendor. We favour open standards, documented APIs, exportable data and code the agency owns or can access under its contract terms. Documentation, runbooks and knowledge transfer are delivered as part of the work, so another team — internal or external — can maintain the system later.

Measures agencies use to judge a digital service

Illustrative metrics; which ones matter depends on your organisation and goals.

We help agencies define and instrument these measures. Decisions about hosting, authorisation to operate and procurement stay with the agency and its prime contractor where one is involved; we do not claim contract vehicles or certifications we do not hold.

Government technology glossary

Clear definitions help vendors, programme staff and IT reviewers work from the same assumptions.

Services for this industry

Related: legacy modernization, web portals, document management and cybersecurity engineering.

Explore more in Industry Software Development for the Sectors We Serve.