Stadt Bern

What Stadt Bern does

Stadt Bern (legal entity: Einwohnergemeinde Bern) is the municipal government of Bern, the de facto federal capital of Switzerland, and operates as a public administrative entity rather than a commercial company. It delivers the full suite of municipal services expected of a Swiss Einwohnergemeinde — resident registration and migration services (Einwohnerdienste), tax administration, childcare (Kitas Stadt Bern), waste and recycling (Entsorgung + Recycling Stadt Bern), civil engineering (Tiefbau Stadt Bern), real estate management (Immobilien Stadt Bern), urban planning (Stadtplanungsamt), and family/neighborhood programs (Familie & Quartier Stadt Bern). Internal training and HR services run through Personal- und Organisationsentwicklung (POE). Operationally it serves Bern residents, local businesses, and visitors via a hybrid digital-plus-physical model.

The core technology platform is the bern.ch municipal portal, built on the open-source Plone CMS extended with OneGov.ch modules developed by a Swiss public-administration non-profit. Informatik Stadt Bern (IBE) acts as the centralized IT competency center for the entire administration and the public-school network, running two modern data centers, supporting approximately 2,300 administrative workstations and 2,500 school workstations, and managing a printer fleet of around 580 devices. Enterprise back-office systems include SAP (HCM for HR, plus Finance and Sales/Distribution) and Microsoft 365. Web analytics are handled by Matomo (privacy-focused, immediate IP anonymization) with Siteimprove Analytics as a temporary complementary tool; the city also maintains an intranet Web-GIS (Geoinformationssystem) for spatial and property data. The Digitalstrategie Stadt Bern 2021 document governs the digital roadmap. The city is GDPR-compliant, supports WCAG-style accessibility (Easy Language and Swiss Sign Language), and publishes content in 14+ languages.

The revenue model is tax-funded rather than commercial. Municipal taxes are the primary financing stream, supplemented by service fees (notably childcare, partially offset by government childcare vouchers (Betreuungsgutscheine)) and a small set of internal training courses priced at CHF 190–800. Distribution is hybrid: self-serve via bern.ch (the digital front door), telephone switchboard and Contact Center, in-person service counters, the Kita-Büro for childcare placement, the Schadensmelder damage-reporting tool, and a broad social-media presence including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Threema. Key partners include OneGov.ch, the Plone Foundation, webcloud7, MediaparX AG, Stiftung 'Zugang für alle', and Hauptstadtregion Schweiz.

Name

Stadt Bern

Legal name

Einwohnergemeinde Bern

Website

https://bern.ch

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Stadt Bern (Einwohnergemeinde Bern) is the municipal government of Bern, Switzerland, delivering public services including resident registration, municipal childcare, IT operations, urban planning, waste recycling, and professional development to the city's residents, businesses, and visitors via the bern.ch portal and in-person service centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Administration (Municipal Government Services)

NAICS

Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices (551114)

SIC

Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Municipal public services
• Resident administration
• Municipal childcare
• Civic digital portal
• Municipal IT infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Tax Revenue: Stadt Bern is funded primarily through municipal taxes levied on residents and businesses within the city of Bern, Switzerland. As a municipal government (Einwohnergemeinde), its operating budget is financed by tax revenues, government grants, and fees for municipal services.
2. Childcare Fees (Kitas Stadt Bern): Kitas Stadt Bern generates revenue through fees charged for childcare services at its municipal daycare facilities, with support from government childcare vouchers (Betreuungsgutscheine).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stadt Bern operates as the municipal government (Einwohnergemeinde Bern) of Bern, Switzerland, delivering public services through its bern.ch digital portal and physical service centers. Core services include resident registration, tax administration, municipal childcare (Kitas Stadt Bern), waste and recycling management, urban planning, public safety, and professional development for city employees through POE. Operations span multiple departments and subsidiaries including Informatik Stadt Bern (IBE) for centralized IT and two data centers, and Familie & Quartier Stadt Bern for family and neighborhood services.

Product overview

Stadt Bern (City of Bern) operates a comprehensive digital service ecosystem centered on the bern.ch municipal portal. The portfolio consists of the primary public-facing website providing administrative information and services, supplemented by specialized sub-portals including Kitas Stadt Bern (municipal daycare services), the Careers Portal (Arbeiten für die Stadt Bern), and the Personal- und Organisationsentwicklung (POE) training platform. Core enabling infrastructure includes Informatik Stadt Bern (IBE), the municipal IT department managing over 4,800 workstations and two data centers across the administration and public schools. The POE platform offers over 40 continuing education and leadership courses organized into categories including IT (Informatikkurse), communication, administration, health, leadership, and law. The Digitalstrategie Stadt Bern 2021 documents the city's digital transformation roadmap. All services are built on the Plone open-source CMS with OneGov.ch modules and are designed for multilingual accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kitas Stadt Bern: Municipal childcare facilities operated by the city
• Informatik Stadt Bern (IBE)
• Personal- und Organisationsentwicklung (POE)
• Familie & Quartier Stadt Bern

Products and services

• bern.ch Municipal Portal The primary public-facing digital platform of the City of Bern providing citizens with information about municipal services, news, administrative procedures, and access to city departments. Available in German, English, French, Italian, and 10 additional languages including Easy Language (Leichte Sprache) and Swiss Sign Language (Gebärdensprache).
• Kitas Stadt Bern (Municipal Childcare) Municipal daycare (Kita) services operated by Familie & Quartier Stadt Bern, offering professional childcare across multiple locations in Bern. Includes enrollment via the Kita-Büro at Effingerstrasse 21, placement inquiries, and partial fee subsidization via government childcare vouchers (Betreuungsgutscheine).
• Informatik Stadt Bern (IBE) Municipal IT Services Centralized IT and telecommunications competency center for the entire Bern city administration and public schools, providing hardware, software, networking, and data center operations. Manages over 2,300 workstations in city administration and approximately 2,500 workstations in public schools, two modern data centers, and a printer fleet of approximately 580 devices. Also offers tailored software products and ICT support to internal departments.
• Personal- und Organisationsentwicklung (POE) Professional Development Competence center providing continuing education, leadership courses, social and personal counseling, and vocational training for Stadt Bern city employees. Course catalog spans collaboration, work methods, communication, administration, leadership, law, health, and IT, including certification-aligned programs with pricing from CHF 190 to CHF 800 per participant for specific courses.
• Careers Portal (Arbeiten für die Stadt Bern) Public-facing employment portal showcasing the City of Bern as an employer, listing open positions, apprenticeships (offering over 20 different apprenticeship programs), employee benefits, workplace culture information, and career development opportunities.
• Familie & Quartier Stadt Bern Department providing family support services including the Kita-Büro for childcare coordination, family counseling, and neighborhood development programs across the City of Bern.
• Informatikkurse - IT Training Courses IT training program covering Microsoft Office 365, SAP systems (HCM, Finance, Sales/Distribution), Web-GIS applications, CMS content management, ICT security, and introductory computing skills, delivered at the Beer-Haus training facility primarily to Stadt Bern city employees.
• Contact Center - Resident Services (Einwohnerdienste) Central contact center for resident services including address changes, residence permits, identity documents, general inquiries, and administrative matters, with phone, online, and in-person service delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• The city provides services across 40+ thematic areas including childcare, waste management, safety, education, and urban planning through its digital platform.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• OneGov.chcoreTechnology or IntegrationOneGov.ch provides core modules for the Open Source Content Management System used by bern.ch. As a non-profit association (Verein), OneGov.ch develops and maintains governance software solutions for Swiss public administration.
• Plone (open source CMS community)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Plone Foundation provides the open-source Content Management System that serves as the technical foundation for bern.ch. Plone is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), allowing free use, modification, and extension.
• Stiftung «Zugang für alle» (Access for All Foundation), ZürichmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Stiftung Zugang für alle (Zurich-based foundation) provides accessibility expertise and standards compliance for the bern.ch website, supporting the city's commitment to digital inclusion.
• Hauptstadtregion Schweiz (Capital Region Switzerland)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe city participates in the Hauptstadtregion Schweiz initiative, which promotes bilingualism (German/French) through programs like SprachTANDEM for city employees to refresh French language skills and support German learners.
• Carlo Segginger (Schauspieler, Dozent Körpersprache – Auftrittskompetenz)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCarlo Segginger, a professional actor and body language instructor, leads the 'Wirkungsvoll auftreten' (Effective Presentation) course for POE as an external trainer/facilitator.
• Agota Lavoyer (Expertin für sexualisierte Gewalt)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAgota Lavoyer, social worker and expert on sexualized violence, co-leads the workshop on sexual harassment and queer hostility at the workplace for Stadt Bern employees, alongside Hannes Rudolph.
• Hannes Rudolph (Psychologe, Trans-Berater)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHannes Rudolph, psychologist and transgender advisor, co-leads the workshop on sexual harassment and queer hostility at the workplace for Stadt Bern employees.
• Fachstelle für Gleichstellung in GeschlechterfragenmoderateImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe city's own Equality Office (Fachstelle für Gleichstellung) co-organizes the workshop on sexual harassment and queer hostility in collaboration with POE.
• Fachstelle Radikalisierung und Gewaltprävention der Stadt BernmoderateImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe city's own Center for Radicalization and Violence Prevention, led by Roland Knöri and Kaspar Padel, co-leads the course on dealing with insults, threats, and violence in the workplace.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ville de Lausanne: Mid-sized Swiss municipal government with multilingual service delivery, in-house IT competence, Kita-style childcare, and a comparable digital portal — a direct functional peer.
• Ville de Genève: French-speaking Swiss municipal government with parallel service portfolio (administrative services, childcare, urban planning, digital portal) operating under the same federal-municipal governance model.
• Stadt Luzern: Mid-sized Swiss municipal government hosting a similar scope of services including resident registration, Kita, urban planning, and digital services — comparable in scale and governance model.
• Stadt Zürich: Switzerland's largest municipal government, also operating a multilingual digital service portal, in-house IT department, Kita services, and POE-style professional development — the most direct functional peer to Stadt Bern.
• Stadt Basel: Comparable mid-large Swiss municipal government providing the same set of services (resident services, Kita, urban planning, waste, IT) under the same cantonal regulatory framework as Stadt Bern.

Broad incumbents

• Stadt Wien: Austrian capital city administration operating an extensive municipal service portal and parallel operating units (childcare, IT, waste, housing) at substantially larger scale.
• Bundesstadt Bonn: German former federal capital city administration with a comparable municipal service portfolio (resident services, urban planning, public works, multilingual portal) operating at a larger scale.
• Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (Bund): Swiss federal government, the higher-level public authority that defines the cantonal and municipal framework within which Stadt Bern operates — relevant for regulatory and funding dynamics.
• Kanton Bern: The cantonal government that sits between Stadt Bern and the federal level, sharing service-delivery responsibilities and fiscal flows — a structural counterpart in Swiss public administration.

Others

• OneGov.ch (Verein): Non-profit association providing the open-source governance CMS modules used by bern.ch, serving multiple Swiss municipal governments — ecosystem technology partner rather than competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bern_stadt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StadtBernSchweiz
• Facebookfacebook.com/StadtBern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stadt-bern
• Instagraminstagram.com/stadtbern

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Stadt Bern