Center for Digital Government

What Center for Digital Government does

Center for Digital Government (CDG) is a national research and advisory institute focused on technology policy and best practices for state and local government in the United States. Founded circa 2000 and headquartered in Folsom, California, CDG operates as a division of the privately held parent company e.Republic LLC, alongside sibling properties including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Education, the Center for Public Sector AI, Digital Communities, and Digital States. CDG does not sell commercial software; instead its offerings consist of research programs, benchmark surveys (Digital Cities, Digital States, Digital Counties), peer networking councils (including the newly launched City Manager Innovation Council and pre-existing AI and Cybersecurity Councils), awards programs (Government Experience Awards, AWS Champions Awards), and events such as the ISAC Annual Summit and state-specific Digital Government Summits.

The organization's commercial engine combines four revenue streams: recurring Industry Insider subscription memberships (including state-specific editions such as Texas and California) sold primarily to government technology vendors; transaction-fee revenue from in-person summits and virtual council meetings; professional-services-style fees tied to surveys and awards programs that engage government entities; and sponsored-content and advertising revenue flowing through the govtech.com platform operated by parent e.Republic. CDG reaches customers across all 50 U.S. states, supported by a Senior Fellow bench of more than 50 practitioners that includes former federal, state, and large-city CIOs.

CDG's customer base is dual-sided: on the demand side, state, local, and education government technology leaders use CDG's councils, surveys, and research for peer benchmarking and best-practice insight; on the supply side, technology vendors selling into government pay for membership, sponsorships, and advertising to access those decision-makers. Under recently appointed Executive Director Rob Lloyd (formerly CTO of the City of Seattle, appointed March 2026), the organization has continued to extend its thematic verticals — notably through the Center for Public Sector AI initiative — while deepening partnerships such as the City Manager Innovation Council co-launch with Governing Magazine.

Name

Center for Digital Government

Legal name

e.Republic LLC

Website

https://govtech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Center for Digital Government (CDG) is a national research and advisory institute, a division of e.Republic LLC, that delivers benchmark surveys, peer councils, awards, and events on technology policy and best practices to state, local, and education government leaders and the vendors that sell to them.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Technology Research and Advisory

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Driving & Heavy Transport (CDL) (EDAOANAK)

Keywords

• Government technology advisory
• Public sector research
• Digital government benchmarking
• State local government IT
• Government peer networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Folsom

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Programs: Industry Insider membership programs providing market intelligence for government technology vendors, with state-specific editions (Texas, California)
2. Events and Conferences: Revenue from ISAC Annual Summit, Digital Government Summits, and various state-specific events
3. Surveys and Awards: Digital Cities, Digital States, Digital Counties surveys and Government Experience Awards that engage government entities
4. Sponsored Content and Advertising: Contributed content and sponsored articles from member companies on GovTech platforms

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Digital Government (CDG) is a national research and advisory institute that provides technology policy research, benchmark surveys, peer networking councils, awards programs, and events for state and local government technology leaders in the United States. Operating as a division of e.Republic, CDG delivers programs such as the Digital Cities, Digital States, and Digital Counties surveys, the Government Experience Awards, the City Manager Innovation Council, the Center for Public Sector AI initiative, and the Industry Insider membership program for government technology vendors.

Product overview

The Center for Digital Government (CDG) is a national research and advisory institute focused on technology policy and best practices in state and local government. It is a division of e.Republic and does not offer commercial software products. CDG's offerings consist of research programs, surveys, awards, peer networking councils, and industry certification programs. These include the Digital Communities program, Digital States Survey, Digital Cities Survey, Digital Counties Survey, Government Experience Awards, the City Manager Innovation Council, AWS Champions Awards, and the Center for Public Sector AI initiative. CDG also produces research papers and resources through its publications platform and connects public-sector leaders with private-sector partners through various councils and programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Cities Survey Annual benchmarking survey that evaluates and ranks U.S. cities on their use of technology to improve services, drive efficiency, and strengthen community outcomes. Designed for city CIOs, CTOs, and technology directors.
• Digital States Survey Annual benchmarking survey that recognizes U.S. state government excellence in technology deployment and digital government initiatives. Designed for state CIOs and chief data officers.
• Digital Counties Survey Annual benchmarking survey recognizing county government technology innovation and digital government achievements. Designed for county CIOs and technology leaders.
• Government Experience Awards Awards program that recognizes government excellence in citizen experience and digital service delivery across state and local agencies.
• City Manager Innovation Council National peer networking program co-led by CDG for city managers to address technology changes, workforce issues, and public service delivery. Co-led by Rob Lloyd and Harry Black and co-launched with Governing Magazine.
• Industry Insider Membership State-specific membership program (including Texas and California editions) that provides market intelligence and insider briefings to government technology vendors seeking to sell into state and local government.
• Center for Public Sector AI CDG initiative focused on AI policy, adoption guidance, and best practices for state and local government technology leaders.
• Digital Government Summits State-specific in-person and virtual summits hosted by CDG that convene government technology decision-makers to discuss digital government priorities.
• AWS Champions Awards Co-run with the Center for Digital Education, this awards program honors AWS customers that set new standards for innovation in the public sector.
• Digital Communities Program CDG program focused on smart city, digital government, and local government technology initiatives, including related councils and content.
• CDG Senior Fellows Program Program comprising 50+ experienced state, local government, and education practitioners who contribute to CDG research, events, and advisory projects as Senior Fellows.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Governing MagazinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Governing and CDG co-launched the City Manager Innovation Council, a national peer networking program designed to help city managers address technology changes, workforce issues, and public service delivery. The year-long program includes an in-person summit in Q4 2026 and four virtual meetings.
• e.Republic (Parent Company)coreOthersCDG is a division of e.Republic, the parent company that also owns Government Technology magazine, GovTech events, Industry Insider membership programs, and related government technology platforms.
• City Manager Innovation Council MemberscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe City Manager Innovation Council is co-led by Rob Lloyd and Harry Black, both former city managers with experience from San José, Seattle, Stockton, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. The program connects city managers nationwide to address technology challenges.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• StateScoop: Digital media brand covering state and local government technology, including events and awards programs. Competes with CDG for the same state CIO/CDO audience and overlapping sponsor dollars.
• Public Technology Institute (PTI): Research, advisory, and membership organization for local government technology leaders. Directly comparable to CDG's local-government programming (Digital Communities, Digital Counties) in audience, mission, and research/output model.
• NASCIO: National membership association for state chief information officers. Like CDG, it operates as a member-driven policy and advisory organization focused on state government technology, making it one of the closest comparable institutions in mission and customer base.
• Route Fifty: Digital publication from Atlantic Media covering state and local government innovation and technology. Overlaps with CDG's editorial coverage of state and local government technology leaders.
• National League of Cities: Membership organization representing municipal governments. Comparable to CDG as a national body serving city leaders with research, advocacy, and programming — including technology-focused initiatives for members.
• American City & County: Trade publication covering local government operations and technology. Competes for the attention of county and city executives that CDG also reaches through its Digital Counties and Digital Cities programming.
• ICMA (International City/County Management Association): Membership and professional development organization for local government managers — the same audience CDG is engaging through the City Manager Innovation Council. Comparable as a peer-networking and research body for city/county leaders.

Others

• Council of State Governments: Nonpartisan membership organization serving all three branches of state government. Adjacent to CDG through shared state-government audience and policy research, but not technology-specialized like CDG.

Broad incumbents

• Government Executive: Established government-focused media brand covering federal, state, and local issues. Overlaps with CDG in state and local government coverage and in selling sponsorship to government-technology vendors, though it spans a broader policy mandate.
• Brookings Institution: Large public-policy research organization producing reports on government technology, AI, and digital transformation. Comparable to CDG as a research and advisory voice influencing government decision-makers, but at much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/govtechnews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GovernmentTechnology
• Facebookfacebook.com/governmenttechnology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anne-arundel-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Digital Government