Local Government
Technology decisions your council can defend.
Councils are being asked to modernise ageing systems, replace core platforms, and meet growing cyber obligations — often without a clear, independent view of where things actually stand. We give council leadership that view, in language an executive team and elected members can act on.
Sound Familiar?
The pressures most councils are carrying right now.
Core applications are ageing, and no one has a current, whole-of-council view of the environment.
An ERP replacement is looming, but there's no business case and no independent baseline to build one from.
Cyber obligations keep growing faster than the resourcing available to meet them.
ICT decisions are being made without a reliable picture of what the council actually has today.
Technology competes with every other capital priority, and it's hard to defend the spend.
Where To Start
Block One
“We don't really know what we've got.”
When there's no specific suspicion — just the absence of a current, independent baseline — this is the place to start. An independent assessment of the council's technology environment, governance, service arrangements, and cyber posture, translated into a prioritised view leadership can act on.
The default starting point
Independent Technology Health Check
A clear, independent view of what's working, where risk is building, and where technology investment should be focused next.
Explore the Health Check→Block Two
How your technology is actually delivered.
Most councils run both a Managed Services Provider and an in-house team. When something isn't working, the problem usually sits at the interface between them: unclear ownership, gaps in escalation, and no one genuinely managing the vendor. The right starting point depends on where you need clarity first.
Outsourced to an MSP
MSP Performance Review
Clarity on service quality, value for money, and whether the provider is helping the council move forward.
Learn more→Delivered by an in-house team
Team Capability & Operating Model Review
An independent view of whether the ICT function is structured, resourced, and governed to support what's next.
Learn more→If both apply — as they do for most councils — we look at the boundary between them: where ownership sits, how escalation works, and whether the vendor is genuinely being managed. Talk to us about the interface.
Block Three
“We have a procurement decision coming.”
ERP and LMS renewal cycles, panel arrangements, and procurement pathway questions all carry long-term consequences. Independent advice on requirements, evaluation, and pathway means the council can commit to the right solution at the right value — and defend the decision afterwards.
Council procurement support
ICT Tender & Procurement Advisory
End-to-end procurement support — from requirements and specifications through evaluation and negotiation — with defensible, value driven outcomes.
Explore procurement advisory→Independent by Design
Catalyst takes no vendor margins and no referral fees. That means the advice a council receives is based on its own needs and evidence — not on what anyone is paid to recommend.
Not sure which starting point fits your council?
We're happy to talk it through and point you to the right place — whether that's a baseline, a review of how technology is delivered, or support for an upcoming procurement.
Already know you need a larger engagement? Explore our full range of services.