Digital Services Coalition

Civic Tech Market Development

The Challenge

Traditionally, people have viewed the relationship between government and industry in the digital services market as inherently antagonistic and zero sum. For a digital services vendor to win — and milk every dollar from its contract — the government has to lose. That mindset led to poor outcomes for taxpayers, users, and government employees.

The Solution

Robert Rasmussen, the CEO of Agile Six, saw an opportunity to improve how government vendors deliver digital services by nurturing a sense of collaboration rather than rivalry. Inspired by the U.S. Digital Service — which was designed to deliver better government services to the American people through technology and design — he wanted to create an inclusive community where vendors could pool their talents and learn from each other’s successes and failures.

He approached other like-minded companies to create the non-profit Digital Services Coalition — a place to share knowledge, mentor firms, and find teaming partners for government proposals.

By working together, the Coalition's partners have accelerated the government’s ability to implement services that focus on good usability, reliable technology, and accessibility for all — while also benefiting the individuals and firms that are part of the community.