Public
PUBLIC is a London-headquartered digital transformation consultancy founded in 2016 that helps UK central government, the NHS, local authorities and supranational bodies adopt technology, run innovation programmes, and build digital capability. Acquired by Solita in February 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Public does
PUBLIC Group International Ltd is a London-headquartered digital transformation consultancy founded in 2016 that helps UK public sector bodies turn innovative ideas into operational public services. It serves central government departments (Ministry of Defence, NHS, Department for Business and Trade, Department for Science Innovation and Technology, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Justice, DCMS, DLUHC), more than 100 local authorities, and supranational organisations including NATO and the European Commission, alongside selected enterprise partners such as AWS and BT Group.
Its service portfolio spans six expertise areas — Commercial/Spend and Impact, Security and Online Safety, Local Government, Digital and Technology, Open Innovation Programmes, and Learning and Workforce Transformation — delivered through accelerator and challenge programmes (GovStart since 2017, AWS Defence Accelerator, AWS Healthcare Accelerator, AWS AI in the Public Sector Showcase, MHCLG PropTech Innovation Fund, Prison Leavers Innovation Challenge, GovTech Connect for the European Commission), three-year research and evaluation mandates, and the Public School of Technology training programme. Internally, the firm maintains proprietary assets including a Digital Maturity Assessment Model built from evaluating 60+ local government digitalisation programmes covering £80m+ of government funding, and an Innovation in Procurement Toolkit co-developed with London boroughs.
PUBLIC earns revenue primarily through professional services contracts with government clients and as delivery partner for government-funded innovation challenges such as the £2.4m PropTech Innovation Fund Round 6. In February 2025, Solita — a Nordic technology, data and design company owned by approximately 700 employees and the Apax Digital Fund I — acquired PUBLIC Group International Limited as Solita's entry into the UK market, embedding PUBLIC within a 2,200-person European delivery network spanning ten countries while PUBLIC continues to operate as an independent UK entity.
Public firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Public
- Legal name
- PUBLIC Group International Ltd
- Website
- https://public.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- PUBLIC is a London-headquartered digital transformation consultancy founded in 2016 that helps UK central government, the NHS, local authorities and supranational bodies adopt technology, run innovation programmes, and build digital capability. Acquired by Solita in February 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Public industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Sector Digital Transformation Consulting
- NAICS
- Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (9211), Other General Government Support (92119), Administration of Economic Programs (926)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Government Digital Service & eGovernment (Service Delivery, IDs, Portals) (BPAIAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL), Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government (BPAIAAAH), Public Procurement & Contracting (BPAIAEAE), Civil Service & Public Administration (HR, Org Dev, Workforce Policy) (BPAIAAAD)
Keywords
Where Public is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Public business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Digital Transformation Consulting: Professional services providing advisory, research, and implementation support to public sector organisations undergoing digital transformation. Includes programme design, evaluation, and capability building.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Public product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PUBLIC provides professional services that help UK and European public sector organisations undergo digital transformation. Its work spans advisory and implementation support, open innovation programme design and delivery (including the GovStart startup growth programme and co-delivered accelerator programmes with AWS and MHCLG), research and evaluation of digitalisation programmes for bodies such as DLUHC, and capability building through the Public School of Technology. Customers are primarily UK central government departments, local authorities, the NHS, and supranational organisations including NATO and the European Commission.
Product overview
PUBLIC is a digital transformation partner that helps the public sector turn innovative ideas into practical solutions. The company offers a portfolio of expertise areas (Commercial/Spend & Impact, Security & Online Safety, Local Government, Digital & Technology, Open Innovation Programmes, Learning & Workforce Transformation) alongside accelerator programmes (GovStart, AWS Defence Accelerator, AWS Healthcare Accelerator, PropTech Innovation Fund), research and evaluation services, and the Public School of Technology for public sector workforce training. PUBLIC joined forces with Solita in February 2025 as an independent entity within the Solita Group, a European technology, data, and design company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GovStart: A six-month growth programme helping tech startups transform the public sector with tailored support, strategy and networks. Since 2017, the programme has supported companies achieving £59m investment raised, £19m public sector contracts won, and 47 public sector pilots agreed.
- PUBLIC School of Technology
Products and services
- GovStart A six-month growth programme helping tech startups transform the public sector with tailored support, strategy, and networks. Since 2017 the programme has supported 48 companies achieving £59m investment raised, £19m public sector contracts won, and 47 public sector pilots agreed.
- PropTech Innovation Fund MHCLG's flagship innovation programme supporting testing and scaling of digital innovation across planning and housebuilding, delivered in partnership with PUBLIC across multiple funding rounds.
- AWS Defence Accelerator Defence-focused accelerator programme partnering with AWS and the UK Ministry of Defence, supporting dual-use startup solutions and innovation training for defence organisations.
- AWS Healthcare Accelerator Programme Healthcare-focused accelerator programme co-delivered with AWS, supporting startups to advance growth and deployment in the UK public sector including the NHS.
- GovTech Connect European Commission-funded project supporting public sector access to the European GovTech ecosystem and driving the green transition, including delivery of European boot camps.
- Public School of Technology A centre of education dedicated to teaching public servants about digital technology and innovation, offering courses to civil servants and elected officials across the UK public sector.
- Local Government Digitalisation Evaluation 3-year research evaluation of 60+ local government digitalisation programmes working with DLUHC, collecting data from 100+ local authorities totalling over £80 million in assessed funding.
- AWS AI in the Public Sector Showcase Showcase event in partnership with AWS driving adoption of AI-powered solutions to improve government services across UI optimisation, case management, and compliance monitoring.
- Future of Digital Government (Report / Research Engagement) PUBLIC research and report commissioned by BT Group titled 'The Future of Digital Government: A blueprint for the future of digital public services in the UK', exploring citizen attitudes toward digital public services.
Quantifiable outcome
- GovStart programme companies raised £59m investment, won £19m in public sector contracts, completed 47 pilots, and developed 18 new products
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Public
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Public technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature2 records
Public partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- SolitacoreSolita, a European technology, data, and design company, acquired PUBLIC Group International Limited in February 2025. This strategic move marked Solita's entry into the UK market. PUBLIC continues to operate as an independent entity within the Solita Group. The combined entity employs over 2,200 professionals across ten countries in Europe.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)corePUBLIC collaborated with AWS on multiple accelerator programmes including AWS Defence Accelerator (AWS's first defence accelerator), AWS Healthcare Accelerator, and AWS AI in the Public Sector Showcase. These programmes scout, mentor, and connect startups with UK government and defence organisations.
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)coreCo-delivery of MHCLG's PropTech Innovation Fund with MHCLG's Digital Planning Programme. PUBLIC supports programme design, consortium selection, and delivery support across multiple rounds of the £2.4m+ grant funding programme.
- European CommissioncorePUBLIC supports the European Commission through the GovTech Connect project, helping empower public sector access to the European GovTech ecosystem and drive the green transition. Boot camps have been delivered across Europe including in Madrid.
- City of The HagueflagshipPartnership with the City of The Hague and Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations to host the GovTech Summit, the world's premier GovTech event. The 2021 edition themed 'Build Back Digital' brought together European GovTech leaders.
- Faculty AIcorePartnership in the Online Safety Data Initiative consortium alongside OSTIA. Faculty leads development of novel data science prototype projects while PUBLIC leads the discovery phase understanding data needs across the Safety Tech sector.
- BT GroupminorBT commissioned PUBLIC to develop the report 'The Future of Digital Government: A blueprint for the future of digital public services in the UK', exploring citizen attitudes toward digital public services during and after COVID-19.
- Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)corePartnership with DCMS to operate the UK's first Safety Tech Challenge Fund, a grant programme aimed at empowering safety tech innovation to enhance child online safety. Cross-Whitehall initiative involving Home Office, National Crime Agency.
- Ministry of JusticecorePartnership with Ministry of Justice on the Prison Leavers Innovation Challenge (PLIC), testing innovative ways to reduce reoffending through technological and digital interventions. Includes funding of up to £350k for piloting phase.
- London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI)coreWorking with LOTI to assess barriers preventing procurement collaboration between London boroughs. Created the Innovation in Procurement toolkit following GDS best practice for use by London's commercial and service teams.
- DataGuardminorData protection advisory firm that assisted in creating PUBLIC's privacy policy documentation.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Public competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Sopra Steria: European IT services group with significant UK and Nordic public sector presence delivering digital transformation, systems integration, and managed services; comparable to PUBLIC's advisory+delivery model across European government clients.
- Netcompany: Nordic-headquartered IT services firm that has scaled UK government digital delivery; comparable to PUBLIC in targeting public sector digital transformation mandates, with complementary geographic reach.
Broad incumbents
- Capita: Large UK public services outsourcer and consultancy with broad government transformation and digital capabilities; competes with PUBLIC for major departmental transformation mandates but operates at substantially greater scale and across a wider service portfolio.
- Civica: Major UK software and services vendor for local government, health, and central departments; competes with PUBLIC on digital transformation, procurement modernisation, and council digitalisation programmes.
- PA Consulting: Global innovation and transformation consultancy with a strong public sector practice including digital government and innovation strategy; overlaps with PUBLIC on advisory and accelerator-style engagements but is broader in scope.
Emerging players
- Faculty AI: UK applied AI consultancy that partners with government on safety, defence, and public sector AI deployments; co-partner with PUBLIC on the Online Safety Data Initiative and competes in AI-for-government advisory space.
Direct peers
- FutureGov: UK-based GovTech specialist delivering digital transformation and service design for local authorities and health partners; similar advisory positioning to PUBLIC in local government digitalisation.
- Made Tech: UK-based digital transformation consultancy delivering software and services to central and local government; directly competes with PUBLIC on agile delivery and user-centred public service design mandates, including GDS-aligned engagements.
- Methods: UK public sector technology and digital transformation consultancy with comparable expertise in digital service design, data, and modern delivery for central and local government clients.
- dxw: UK public sector digital, data, and technology consultancy working with departments like DLUHC, DWP, and HMRC; competes head-to-head with PUBLIC on digital transformation advisory and delivery engagements across Whitehall.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Public social profiles
Digital presencePublic compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Public financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Public leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Public funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Public M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments37 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Public
What does Public do?
PUBLIC provides professional services that help UK and European public sector organisations undergo digital transformation. Its work spans advisory and implementation support, open innovation programme design and delivery (including the GovStart startup growth programme and co-delivered accelerator programmes with AWS and MHCLG), research and evaluation of digitalisation programmes for bodies such as DLUHC, and capability building through the Public School of Technology. Customers are primarily UK central government departments, local authorities, the NHS, and supranational organisations including NATO and the European Commission.
Is Public a public or private company?
Public is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Public founded?
Public was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Public based?
Public is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Public make money?
One revenue line is on record: digital Transformation Consulting.
Who are Public's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Sopra Steria and Netcompany. Broad incumbents are Capita, Civica and PA Consulting. Faculty AI is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are FutureGov, Made Tech, Methods and dxw.
Does Public have an API?
No public API is recorded for Public.
What industry is Public in?
Public's product category is Public Sector Digital Transformation Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAAAE, Government Digital Service & eGovernment (Service Delivery, IDs, Portals), with a secondary code of BPADAEAL, Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance. Its NAICS code is 9211 and its SIC code is 8300.