The publishing platform created by councils, for councils

Become an LGD Supplier

Our community of expert suppliers work in collaboration with councils.

Together, they ensure our distribution meets user needs, is well maintained and is regularly improved and updated.

Any supplier committed to our core aims that fulfil our simple criteria can join the community.

We have two supplier offers:

  • Agency and small suppliers - read on for more information
  • Supporting Partners - are larger organisations that supply software or hosting solutions not offered through the core distribution but are trusted by councils and integrate well with the distribution. See our Become a Supporting Partner page for more details.

 

Agency and small suppliers

To ensure that our council members receive the best possible service, we screen applications from suppliers before we allow them to sign up.

All suppliers must commit to the long-term sustainability of the project and agree to the Contributor Agreement;

In addition, Drupal agencies should be working with and recommended by a council and have a proven track record of Drupal contribution, including a Drupal.org profile and/ or evidence of speaking at or organising Drupal events.

Suppliers can become subscribers and access various features and benefits by paying an annual fee. 

It's a great opportunity to work on sites that directly impact local people in local councils, helping councils to save money that can then be spent on other council services.
Mark Conroy, Annertech, Director of Development.

Choose your level of commitment 

Contributors (free)

  • Join the community on Slack
  • Contribute to working groups such as the Technical Group and Content Group
  • Start to help where you can. That could be building new functionality, improving documentation, testing, or sharing new user research.

 

Subscribers

Subscribers pay a fee to Open Digital Cooperative to help keep the project running and pay for product development. 

Subscribers demonstrate support for LocalGov Drupal, value-for-money public services, and the open source community.

They can share knowledge with our community of tech experts from various disciplines across local authorities and their suppliers and gain access to council tech procurement professionals with a collective budget of over £100million.

Subscribers get everything a contributor does, plus additional benefits. 

Supplier members will primarily gain access to this growing pool of councils participating in this unique project, but there are many other benefits.

Events & Networking 

  • access to LocalGov Drupal events
  • discounts on tickets to LocalGov Drupal events
  • promote job opportunities on the LocalGov Drupal website and Slack channels

Lead generation & thought leadership

  • listing as a recommended supplier on the LGD website
  • company profile page on the LGD website featuring a case study 
  • present to councils at community meetings either online or face-to-face
  • LGD representative can attend your event / client meeting where possible
  • priority weighting on bids for future LocalGov Drupal development work and other contracts - over £300k in the last three years
  • enhanced engagement with LocalGov Drupal on our social media channels

Governance and influence

  • join our Subscriber Group. A private subscriber channel on Slack that acts as an advisory body for the project

Membership

You are eligible to become a cooperative member on payment of the subscription fee.

Members have: 

  • part ownership of Open Digital Cooperative
  • the opportunity to nominate and vote for directors of the Open Digital Cooperative board 
  • a vote at AGMs

 

What are the fees, and why we need to charge

Fees start at just £500 per year, depending on company size and turnover.

We encourage councils to work with each other, but they don’t tend to do so without help. 

Over the last few years, the LGD team has actively encouraged collaboration, onboarded new councils, run show-and-tell sessions, blogged about progress, facilitated working groups to build new features, and more. 

The membership fees will cover both these core costs and product development, which the Local Digital Fund initially funded.
 

How to Become an LGD Supplier

We know your time is precious, so the process is designed to be as lightweight as possible.

All subscribing suppliers have worked with and have been recommended by a council or Open Digital Cooperative.

1. Fill in our supplier interest form

2. Arrange an introductory meeting

We’ll schedule a 45-minute chat with an LGD team member to discuss your application. They’ll also give you an overview of the project and products and answer any initial questions you might have.

3. Agree to our Contributor Agreement

Our Contributor Agreement outlines what we expect of suppliers and what they can expect from us. 

4. Decide on subscription and possible membership

For those suppliers who want to become subscribers (and we hope that’s all of you), we’ll issue an invoice for your subscription fee and ask whether you’d like to also become a member of Open Digital Cooperative.

5. Announcement

Once the Contributor Agreement is signed and the subscription is paid, we’ll work with you to announce that you’ve joined the project on our website, social media and email newsletter.