Kreis Herford
Kreis Herford is a statutory district government in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, delivering public administration services — including social welfare, education oversight, vehicle registration, and environmental regulation — to roughly 250,000 residents across nine municipalities via physical offices and digital service platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersHerford, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kreis Herford does
Kreis Herford is a statutory district government (Kreis) in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, exercising delegated state authority over public administration for approximately 250,000 residents across nine municipalities (Bünde, Enger, Herford, Hiddenhausen, Kirchlengern, Löhne, Rödinghausen, Spenge, Vlotho). Its functional mandate covers the full spectrum of district-level public services: family and youth welfare, disability and senior care support, immigration integration, public health, education oversight (as Schulträger for five Berufskollegs and three Förderschulen), vehicle and driver's license administration, building regulation, environmental and climate protection, waste management, food safety, and economic development.
The district operates a digital public administration platform built around the Serviceportal Kreis Herford (central citizen portal), the GeoPortal (geographic information system with 3D, thermal mapping, and solar roof assessment), the iRICH BürgerApp (mobile citizen information app), the interactive budget tool for fiscal 2026, the OWL-Vergabeportal for electronic public procurement, and federal integrations including Bund ID identity authentication and the i-KFZ vehicle registration platform. The technology stack is interoperability-focused, emphasizing standards-compliant connections to federal and state e-government infrastructure rather than proprietary platforms.
Kreis Herford is financed primarily through the Kreistumlage (district tax levy collected from member municipalities), supplemented by state and federal allocations, regulatory administrative fees, and program-specific subsidies. It is not a commercial enterprise — it has no shares, no commercial funding rounds, and no M&A activity. Its go-to-market is direct-to-citizen via a hybrid channel mix: physical Service-Büro offices with defined opening hours, specialized departmental offices, mobile outreach units, eight educational institutions, and a multi-channel digital presence (website, Facebook, Instagram, app, service portal). Inter-municipal revenue also flows through the Zentrale Vergabestelle, which provides shared procurement services to eight partner municipalities and institutions under a cooperative model.
Kreis Herford firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kreis Herford
- Legal name
- Kreis Herford
- Website
- https://kreis-herford.de
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kreis Herford is a statutory district government in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, delivering public administration services — including social welfare, education oversight, vehicle registration, and environmental regulation — to roughly 250,000 residents across nine municipalities via physical offices and digital service platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kreis Herford industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Administration
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialized Instruction & Resource Support (Inclusion, Pull-Out, Co-Teaching) (EDAJAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- IEP/504 Planning, Case Management & Compliance (EDAJAKAB), Admissions, Enrollment & Registrar Operations (Application Processing, Records) (EDAEALAB), Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK)
Keywords
Where Kreis Herford is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Herford
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kreis Herford business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Public Tax Revenue: Kreis Herford is financed primarily through district taxes (Kreistumlage) and state/federal allocations. Revenue comes from local tax contributions, administrative fees for services, and government subsidies for specific programs such as social services, education, and infrastructure.
- Administrative Fees: The district collects fees for various administrative services including vehicle registration, building permits, health certifications, food safety inspections, and other regulatory services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kreis Herford product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kreis Herford is a district government entity that delivers public administrative services to residents and businesses across nine municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its core offerings include social welfare and youth services, disability support, elderly care counseling, immigration integration services, vehicle registration and driver's license administration, public health services, environmental protection, building regulation, waste management, and education oversight as Schulträger for five vocational schools and three special education schools. Services are delivered through physical offices (Kreishaus Service-Büro), a comprehensive online Serviceportal, mobile applications (iRICH BürgerApp), and electronic procurement systems (OWL-Vergabeportal).
Product overview
Kreis Herford operates a comprehensive digital public administration platform comprising a central service portal, multiple specialized online services, and geographic information systems. The core offering includes the Serviceportal Kreis Herford as the main citizen interface, supplemented by specialized digital services for vehicle registration (i-KFZ), parental benefits, appointment scheduling, and electronic procurement. Geographic services are delivered through the GeoPortal with interactive mapping, solar assessments, and 3D visualization capabilities. Political transparency is enhanced through the iRICH citizen app and council information systems. The district also provides an interactive budget visualization tool (Interaktiver Haushaltsplan 2026) for civic engagement. The ecosystem integrates with federal platforms including Bund ID and i-KFZ, and utilizes the OWL-Vergabeportal for electronic procurement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Serviceportal Kreis Herford Central citizen service portal providing digital access to administrative services including child care, parental benefits, vehicle registration, permits, and certificates for residents of the Kreis Herford district.
- Online-KFZ-Zulassung/-Abmeldung Digital service for online vehicle registration and deregistration via the federal i-KFZ platform, requiring Bund ID authentication, for district residents and vehicle owners.
- GeoPortal Kreis Herford Geographic information system providing access to cadastral data, maps, aerial imagery, thermal building maps, solar roof assessments, and 3D visualization of the district for residents, businesses, and planners.
- iRICH BürgerApp Mobile citizen information application providing access to the council information system for transparency on political decisions and district governance, for district residents.
- Elterngeld Online-Service Digital parental benefit application service with intelligent assistant that adapts questions to individual cases, supporting fully paperless submission with data save functionality, for parents and families in the district.
- Online-Terminreservierung (Zulassungsstelle/Führerscheinstelle) Appointment scheduling system for vehicle registration and driver's license offices to reduce wait times for district residents.
- Elektronische Vergabe (eVergabe) Electronic public procurement system conducting transparent bidding procedures via OWL-Vergabeportal, enabling fully digital tender processes for companies and serving partner municipalities and institutions.
- Interaktiver Haushaltsplan 2026 Interactive digital budget visualization tool allowing citizens to explore the district's annual budget allocations for fiscal year 2026.
- Kreistagsinformationssystem Council information system providing full transparency on district council proceedings, votes, and political decision-making for citizens and stakeholders.
- Virtueller Sitzungsdienst Virtual session service for council meetings enabling remote participation and digital governance proceedings for council members and the public.
- Solardachkataster Solar roof assessment tool enabling citizens to evaluate photovoltaic potential of building rooftops in the district.
Companies that use Kreis Herford
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Kreis Herford technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature5 records
Kreis Herford partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.
- Stadt EngercoreThe Zentrale Vergabestelle (Central Procurement Office) of Kreis Herford conducts public procurement procedures on behalf of Stadt Enger, providing standardized and transparent procurement services.
- Stadt LöhnecoreShared procurement services through the Zentrale Vergabestelle, enabling Stadt Löhne to access electronic procurement systems and standardized tendering procedures.
- Stadt SpengecoreCentralized procurement services provided by Kreis Herford's Zentrale Vergabestelle for public contracting needs.
- Stadt VlothocoreProcurement procedure services through the shared Vergabe portal, enabling efficient public contracting.
- Gemeinde HiddenhausencoreJoint procurement services through the centralized Vergabestelle for municipality contracting.
- Gemeinde KirchlengerncoreShared public procurement services utilizing the OWL electronic procurement portal.
- Klinikum HerfordmoderateHealthcare partnership providing hospital services as part of the district's healthcare infrastructure.
- OWL GmbHmoderateRegional development company participating in shared procurement services through the OWL Vergabeportal.
- Werre-WasserverbandmoderateWater management association partnering in shared procurement for water and environmental services.
- Ev. DiakoniestiftungcoreCooperation partner in the 'Endlich ein ZUHAUSE!' (Finally a HOME!) initiative for the prevention and combating of homelessness in the Kreis Herford area. The project is part of the state initiative against homelessness.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kreis Herford competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Stadt Bielefeld: Independent city (kreisfreie Stadt) embedded within the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region. Not a direct Kreishaus peer but operates many overlapping citizen services and competes for talent/investment with Kreis Herford.
- Landkreis Osnabrück: Lower-Saxon district adjacent to Kreis Herford across the state border. Comparable in scale and administrative scope, but operates under a different state legal framework (Niedersachsen vs. NRW).
Others
- citeq (Münster): Municipal IT service company for Stadt Münster and surrounding Kreise. Functions as an infrastructure/technology enabler for Kreishaus-level digital services, making it a relevant adjacent player in the NRW public-sector IT ecosystem.
- Kommunale IT-UNION eG (KDN): IT service provider jointly owned by NRW municipalities and Kreise. Although not a peer in the operational sense, KDN provides the underlying eGovernment, GIS, and procurement platforms that Kreis Herford relies on — a key ecosystem counterpart.
Direct peers
- Kreis Steinfurt: NRW Kreis of comparable size and demographic structure. Operates parallel digital services (KFZ-Zulassung, GeoPortal, eGovernment) and serves as a strong benchmark for Kreishaus digitalization maturity.
- Kreis Gütersloh: Neighboring NRW Kreis with strong industrial base and comparable administrative scope, including Förderschulen and Berufskollegs. Useful peer for industrial-region service delivery benchmarks.
- Kreis Minden-Lübbecke: Adjacent NRW Kreis in the same Regierungsbezirk Detmold with comparable responsibilities (Schulträger, social services, vehicle registration, GeoPortal). Most directly comparable peer for benchmarking digital services and budget scale.
- Kreis Paderborn: Neighboring NRW Kreis in Regierungsbezirk Detmold with similar population, economic profile, and Kreishaus structure. Directly comparable for social services, education oversight, and procurement scale.
- Kreis Lippe: Neighboring Kreishaus in Ostwestfalen-Lippe with a similar population size, economic structure, and Schulträger footprint. Operates comparable digital service portals and procurement systems.
Broad incumbents
- Stadt Dortmund: Large NRW Stadtkreis with significantly more resources and more advanced digital services (e.g., DortmundService). Represents the upper-scale benchmark for what a heavily digitalized municipal administration can achieve in NRW.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kreis Herford social profiles
Digital presenceKreis Herford compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Kreis Herford financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kreis Herford leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Kreis Herford funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kreis Herford M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kreis Herford
What does Kreis Herford do?
Kreis Herford is a district government entity that delivers public administrative services to residents and businesses across nine municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its core offerings include social welfare and youth services, disability support, elderly care counseling, immigration integration services, vehicle registration and driver's license administration, public health services, environmental protection, building regulation, waste management, and education oversight as Schulträger for five vocational schools and three special education schools. Services are delivered through physical offices (Kreishaus Service-Büro), a comprehensive online Serviceportal, mobile applications (iRICH BürgerApp), and electronic procurement systems (OWL-Vergabeportal).
Is Kreis Herford a public or private company?
Kreis Herford is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Kreis Herford founded?
Kreis Herford was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kreis Herford based?
Kreis Herford is headquartered in Herford, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Kreis Herford make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Public Tax Revenue is the primary driver. The others are administrative Fees.
Who are Kreis Herford's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Stadt Bielefeld and Landkreis Osnabrück. Others are citeq (Münster) and Kommunale IT-UNION eG (KDN). Direct peers are Kreis Steinfurt, Kreis Gütersloh, Kreis Minden-Lübbecke, Kreis Paderborn and Kreis Lippe. Stadt Dortmund is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Kreis Herford have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kreis Herford.
What industry is Kreis Herford in?
Kreis Herford's product category is Public Administration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAKAC, Specialized Instruction & Resource Support (Inclusion, Pull-Out, Co-Teaching), with a secondary code of EDAJAKAB, IEP/504 Planning, Case Management & Compliance. Its NAICS code is 611110 and its SIC code is 8200.