Centre for Public Service Innovation

What Centre for Public Service Innovation does

The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) is a national government component of South Africa established in 2001 and reporting to the Minister for Public Service and Administration. It was originally constituted as a Section 21 non-profit company and in 2008 became the first entity listed as a Government Component under the Public Service Act, with its functions codified in Government Notice 700 of 2 September 2011. Its mandate is to nurture the culture and practice of innovation in the South African public sector through needs-driven research and development, unearthing and demonstrating innovative service delivery solutions, testing and piloting new approaches, supporting replication of successful innovations, and recognising public sector innovators. CPSI operates in close collaboration with service delivery departments, institutions, and partners across all three spheres of government, positioning itself as a demand-driven, multi-stakeholder convening body rather than a commercial vendor. Its core 'technology' is ICT leveraged as an innovation enabler, with digital transformation elevated to a strategic focus area in the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan.

CPSI's product and programme surface is programmatic rather than software-based. Its offerings consist of: the core Public Sector Innovation Programme (research, replication of innovations, stakeholder engagement); the 'Ideas That Work' journal (Vol. 11 Issue 01, 2025) as its prime knowledge sharing platform; the annual Public Sector Innovation Conference, now in its 19th iteration and held in Ekurhuleni in August 2025; the parallel DevCon developer track focused on insourcing government digital skills; and the National Batho Pele and Innovation Awards (2025 cycle). Strategic planning is published through the Annual Performance Plan (2025/26) and Strategic Plan (2025–2030). CPSI maintains an active social and digital presence on Facebook and LinkedIn and hosts a careers/E-Recruitment page.

CPSI's revenue model is government budget allocation rather than commercial pricing. The 2025/26 fiscal year budget is R50,071,000, split between Administration (R26,141,000) and the Public Sector Innovation programme (R23,930,000). Services are provided to public sector departments and institutions at no direct cost, in fulfilment of its statutory mandate. The organization employs approximately 33 staff at its headquarters at 546 Edmond Street, Batho Pele House, Arcadia, Pretoria, and is led by Acting Executive Director Ms. Lydia Sebokedi. Partner ecosystem participants surfaced on 2025 event materials include Microsoft, Geekulcha, GEMS, IKASI SOLUTIONS, and Logicalis.

Name

Centre for Public Service Innovation

Legal name

Centre for Public Service Innovation

Website

https://cpsi.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CPSI is a South African national government component under the Ministry of Public Service and Administration that drives innovation in the public sector through research, knowledge sharing, annual conferences, DevCon, and the Batho Pele Innovation Awards. It operates on a budget allocation basis rather than commercial pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Innovation Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance, Public Financial Management & Service Delivery Reform (BPADAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)

Keywords

• Public sector innovation
• Government innovation programs
• Public service research
• Innovation knowledge sharing
• Digital government transformation

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: As a national government component located within the Ministry of Public Service and Administration, CPSI is funded through government budget allocations. The 2025/26 budget shows total allocation of R50,071,000 split between Administration (R26,141,000) and Public Sector Innovation (R23,930,000) programmes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CPSI drives innovation in the South African public sector through research and development of new service delivery solutions, creation of an enabling environment for innovation, and institutional support and replication of successful innovations. Its offerings include the Ideas That Work knowledge journal, the annual Public Sector Innovation Conference with parallel DevCon, the National Batho Pele and Innovation Awards, and multi-stakeholder engagement programs that bring together government, business, academia and civil society to improve public service delivery.

Product overview

CPSI is a South African Government Component that serves as an innovation catalyst for the public sector, not a software product company. Its offerings consist of programs and services: the core Public Sector Innovation Programme (research, development, solution replication, stakeholder engagement, digital transformation support); the Ideas That Work Journal for knowledge sharing; the annual Public Sector Innovation Conference; the National Batho Pele and Innovation Awards; and strategic planning documents. These are programmatic offerings rather than commercial technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Batho Pele and Innovation Awards: Annual awards program celebrating excellence and innovation in the public sector
• Ideas That Work Journal
• DevCon

Products and services

• Public Sector Innovation Programme Core CPSI programme that drives innovation in the South African public sector through Research and Development of new service delivery solutions, creation of an Enabling Environment for innovation, and Institutional Support and Replication of successful innovations. Targeted at national, provincial and local government departments, institutions and partners.
• Ideas That Work Journal A periodically published knowledge sharing journal (most recent edition Vol. 11 Issue 01, 2025) that promotes learning and sharing of insights about public sector innovation amongst government officials and contributes to an agile, empowered public sector.
• Annual Public Sector Innovation Conference (PSI Conference) Annual flagship conference bringing together public sector innovators, digital decision-makers, system developers, and service delivery champions from all spheres of government, business, academia and civil society to share innovations and best practices.
• National Batho Pele and Innovation Awards Annual national awards programme celebrating excellence and innovation in the South African public sector, recognizing and rewarding public sector innovators and innovative service delivery solutions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• GeekulchaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology skills and developer-focused partner. Listed among partner logos indicating collaboration on digital skills and innovation initiatives.
• GEMS (Government Employee Medical Scheme)minorOthersGovernment sector partner. Listed among partner logos indicating collaborative relationship in public sector ecosystem.
• 30 Years PartnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner marking 30 years of Batho Pele principles implementation. Indicates long-term commitment to public sector transformation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Tony Blair Institute for Global Change: Advises governments on reform, digital delivery and public sector transformation. Comparable as a provider of advisory and innovation services to public-sector leaders globally.

Broad incumbents

• Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): South Africa's leading R&D organisation that conducts applied research including public-sector technology and innovation. Comparable as a publicly-funded R&D institution engaged in applied innovation for socio-economic impact.
• Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA): The parent ministry and broader policy-setting body for public administration in South Africa. Relevant as the policy architect whose strategies CPSI operationalises through its innovation mandate.
• National Treasury - South Africa: Sets public financial management frameworks that intersect with service delivery reform. Relevant as an institutional driver of governance reform that CPSI's mandate supports through innovation replication.

Direct peers

• The GovLab (NYU): NYU-affiliated research outfit studying how technology and innovation can improve governance. Comparable as an academic-affiliated public-sector innovation research and convening body.
• Nesta: A UK innovation foundation that runs innovation programmes, research and challenge prizes for public benefit. Closely comparable in mandate as an external-facing innovation catalyst producing research, awards and replication insights.
• OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI): An OECD initiative that tracks, analyses and shares public-sector innovation practices across member states. Comparable as an observatory and knowledge platform for public-sector innovation trends.
• National School of Government (South Africa): A South African government training institute under the same Ministry portfolio that builds public service capacity. Comparable as a state entity focused on strengthening public-sector performance, talent and institutional capability.
• Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC): A National Treasury unit providing technical assistance and capability support to government departments. Comparable as a government advisory body that supports service delivery improvement across departments.

Regional players

• Public Service Commission (South Africa): Statutory oversight body for public administration in South Africa. Comparable as a government body whose remit intersects with service delivery improvement and accountability in the same domestic public-sector ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/official.cpsi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-public-service-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Centre for Public Service Innovation