What Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden does

Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden (OZO) is a Dutch governmental cooperation body (bestuurlijk samenwerkingsverband) that coordinates joint action among the 15 Zeeland public authorities: the 13 Zeeland municipalities, the Province of Zeeland, and Waterschap Scheldestromen. Headquartered in Middelburg, it operates as a non-commercial platform — not a registered corporation — focused on a strategic cooperation agenda across eight themes (labor market, governance and finance, culture and liveability, economic acceleration and tourism, climate and energy, mobility, social domain, and housing and asylum), a joint lobby in The Hague and Brussels, and engagement of elected representatives from municipal councils, Provincial States, and the water board's general board.

The organization's product surface comprises several interconnected offerings: the OZO coordination framework, the Vereniging van Zeeuwse Gemeenten (VZG) municipal association (which is also the Zeeland division of the national VNG), the Zeeland Academie training and knowledge platform, the JAZ network for young civil servants, and the Regio Deal Zeeuwse Aanpak Vitale Regio's program. Underlying technology consists of two digital collaboration platforms — Samen Zeeland Platform (for civil servants and administrators) and RCP-Zeeland, the RaadsCommunityPlatform (for elected representatives) — built to facilitate cross-government knowledge sharing and engagement. The Regiobureau team of nine staff (three strategists, a public-affairs advisor, a communications advisor, and an office manager for OZO; a secretary, a Zeeland Academie project leader, and an office manager for VZG) supports the cooperation agenda administratively.

OZO is funded through recurring membership contributions from the 15 member governments and is not commercially priced. In February 2025, it secured a €13 million grant from the Dutch national government under the Regio Deal program to fund regional vitality initiatives addressing demographic challenges (aging, youth outflow, labor shortages). The organization does not disclose traditional revenue figures and is not subject to commercial M&A dynamics; its expansion paths are programmatic (training, lobbying, joint procurement) and structurally bounded by the Zeeland regional perimeter.

Name

Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden

Legal name

Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden

Website

https://samenzeeland.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden (OZO) is a Dutch governmental cooperation body coordinating joint regional action among the 13 Zeeland municipalities, the Province of Zeeland, and Waterschap Scheldestromen across eight thematic agendas, funded by member-government contributions and national grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Middelburg, Zeeland

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

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. Membership contributions: OZO and VZG are funded through membership contributions from the 15 Zeeland governments (13 municipalities, Province of Zeeland, and Waterschap Scheldestromen).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden (OZO) is a bestuurlijk samenwerkingsverband (administrative cooperation body) in the Dutch province of Zeeland that brings together 15 governmental organizations — 13 Zeeland municipalities, the Province of Zeeland, and Waterschap Scheldestromen — to coordinate joint policy, programs, and initiatives. It operates shared programs covering economic development, education, cultural policy, sports, regional funding, and workforce matters. The organization also runs dedicated platforms and networks (such as JAZ, Zeeland Academie, and the Samen Zeeland Platform) to support collaboration across the member governments.

Product overview

Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden operates as a collaborative governance network rather than a single product company. The organization provides multiple interconnected platforms and programs: OZO serves as the main collaborative framework for 15 Zeeland governments; VZG represents municipal interests; Zeeland Academie delivers training through both in-person courses and digital platforms (Samen Zeeland Platform and RCP-Zeeland); JAZ engages young civil servants; and the Regio Deal coordinates regional development initiatives. These offerings work together to support inter-governmental cooperation, knowledge sharing, professional development, and regional advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VZG: Vereniging van Zeeuwse Gemeenten - The Association of Zeeland Municipalities, a self-standing association and the Zeeland division of the Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG). All 13 Zeeuwse municipalities are members.
• Zeeland Academie
• JAZ

Products and services

• Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden (OZO) Coordination Body A formal administrative cooperation body providing a single platform for the 13 Zeeland municipalities, the Province of Zeeland, and Waterschap Scheldestromen to align on cross-governmental policy and joint initiatives.
• Vereniging Zeeuwse Gemeenten (VZG)
• Zeeland Academie
• JAZ Network Events
• Regio Deal Program
• Zeeuwse Norm Social Procurement Framework

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Rijk (National Government)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Regio Deal Zeeuwse Aanpak Vitale Regio's is a partnership between the national government (€13 million contribution) and regional partners to improve quality of life, work, and living in Zeeland.
• Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVZG is the Zeeland provincial division of VNG. The VNG connects all Dutch municipalities and advocates for local government interests. VZG maintains close contact with VNG to represent Zeeland's interests at the national level.
• HZ University of Applied SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHZ University partners with Zeeland Academie to provide professional development courses including Energy Transition, AI & Data, and Landelijke Gebiedsontwikkeling courses for Zeeland government employees.
• ScaldacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational education institution in Zeeland that collaborates on labor market initiatives and is part of the Regio Deal partnership for education and employment alignment.
• ZorgSaammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare organization part of the Regio Deal partnership contributing to healthcare accessibility and quality in Zeeland.
• Hogeschool ZeelandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education institution partner in Regio Deal for education and labor market alignment initiatives.
• North Sea PortmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border port partnership part of Regio Deal for economic development and employment initiatives.
• Smart Delta ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial ecosystem partnership contributing to Regio Deal economic initiatives.
• Cultural Board ZeelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural sector organization contributing to culture and liveability theme within OZO cooperation agenda.
• Erfgoed ZeelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage organization contributing to preservation of Zeeland cultural heritage within the culture and liveability theme.
• Economic Board ZeelandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development board involved in economic acceleration and tourism theme, representing business interests in Zeeland.
• Arbeidsmarktregio ZeelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor market region partnership for employment and workforce development initiatives, part of Regio Deal.
• Delta Climate CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate research center partner in Regio Deal for climate adaptation and sustainability initiatives.
• SportZeelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports organization partner in Regio Deal for health and vitality initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG): VNG is the national association of all Dutch municipalities and serves as the umbrella counterpart to OZO's VZG (Zeeland division). Both organizations coordinate municipal interests, provide training, lobby national government, and represent collective municipal positions — VNG at national level, OZO/VZG at provincial level.
• Interprovinciaal Overleg (IPO): IPO is the Dutch interprovincial cooperation body that coordinates all 12 provinces on shared strategic agendas and lobbies The Hague. As a sister structure to OZO at the inter-provincial level, IPO follows a comparable coordination model for member provinces.
• Unie van Waterschappen (UvW): UvW is the umbrella association of all 21 Dutch water boards, performing the same coordination, advocacy, and shared-services role for water authorities that OZO performs for its members. Waterschap Scheldestromen (an OZO member) is itself a member of UvW.
• Economic Board Zeeland: Economic Board Zeeland is a strategic partner within the OZO ecosystem specifically focused on economic acceleration and tourism themes. As a regional public-private cooperation body operating within Zeeland, it shares OZO's mandate of cross-stakeholder regional coordination and joint strategic agenda-setting.

Others

• Stichting Regionaal Overlegorgaan: Generic Dutch regional consultative bodies (regionale overlegorganen) that mirror OZO's coordination model at sub-provincial level. Included as an adjacent category representing the broader ecosystem of Dutch intergovernmental cooperation structures rather than a single specific entity.

Regional players

• Delta Rhine: Delta Rhine is a Dutch-Belgian-German cross-border cooperation platform in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta region, comparable to OZO as a multi-government coordination body but with a cross-border rather than purely intra-Zeeland focus.
• Regio Foodvalley: Regio Foodvalley is another Dutch regional cooperation body involving multiple municipalities and provinces focused on agrifood innovation and economic development. Comparable as a sub-national Dutch intergovernmental cooperation structure, but operates in a different region (Gelderland/Overijssel) and on a different thematic focus.
• Regio Twente: Regio Twente is an inter-municipal cooperation body in the Twente region of the Netherlands, coordinating 14 municipalities on shared economic, social, and infrastructure agendas. Functionally comparable to OZO as a Dutch regional coordination platform serving member governments.

Broad incumbents

• ERRIN (European Regions Research and Innovation Network): ERRIN is a Brussels-based network of European regional authorities focused on research, innovation, and EU funding capture. Comparable to OZO's Brussels lobbying mission and its work coordinating regional priorities for EU programs, though ERRIN operates pan-European rather than within a single member-state region.
• Eurocities: Eurocities is the major European network of major cities that facilitates cooperation, knowledge sharing, and joint advocacy on EU policy. Comparable to OZO's cross-border lobbying mission (Brussels Public Affairs advisors), but operates at city level across Europe rather than sub-national regional level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/regiobureau-zeeland
• Instagraminstagram.com/samenzeeland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Overleg Zeeuwse Overheden