What Rhein-erft-kreis does

Rhein-Erft-Kreis is a public-law district (Gebietskörperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) in the Cologne region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, providing statutory public administration to approximately 500,000 residents across municipalities including Bergheim, Brühl, Erftstadt, Hürth, and Kerpen. The district is led by Landrat Frank Rock, headquartered at Willy-Brandt-Platz 1 in Bergheim, with an additional service office in Hürth. Its operational mandate spans administrative, health, social, educational, infrastructure, environmental, and public-safety services, and it is explicitly positioned as a participant in Europe's largest structural-change and transformation process.

The district's core service products include the Bürgerportal (a 24/7 digital citizen portal at portal.rhein-erft-kreis.de), the PflegeDB nursing and care-services platform, the KATRETTER first-responder mobile app for cardiac-arrest response, the DigitalREGION.Rhein-Erft innovation hub, the IQREK central educational location under development until end of 2028, and the Energieoffensive REK 2026 renewable-energy funding program. Technology infrastructure is operated by municipal IT provider kdvz Rhein-Erft-Rur, and the district is partially BITV NRW accessibility-compliant and GDPR-compliant. Distribution occurs through the Kreishaus Bergheim, the Hürth external office, the appointment reservation system, and thematic microsites.

Rhein-Erft-Kreis does not operate on a commercial revenue model; it is funded through the Kreisumlage (district levy on municipalities), state and federal transfers, and regulated administrative fees as defined by the Kreisordnung NRW. It maintains a network of subsidiaries — REVG (public transit), Wirtschaftsförderung Rhein-Erft GmbH (economic development), Energie-Kompetenz-Zentrum (energy competence), Rhein-Erft Tourismus e.V., Regio Grün, and Hoch-Begabten-Zentrum Rheinland — and strategic partnerships including the 2026-07-01 cross-district digital-twin initiative with Rhein-Kreis Neuss.

Name

Rhein-erft-kreis

Legal name

Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Der Landrat

Website

https://rhein-erft-kreis.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Rhein-Erft-Kreis is a statutory German district administration (Gebietskörperschaft) in North Rhine-Westphalia, serving approximately 500,000 residents through digital and physical public services including a citizen portal, healthcare, education oversight, and regional structural-change programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rhein-Erft-Kreis is the district administration for approximately 500,000 residents in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It delivers public administrative services including a digital Bürgerportal (citizen portal) for online procedures, social and health services, education administration, infrastructure planning, environmental protection, and emergency response coordination. Operational digital products include the KATRETTER first-responder app, the PflegeDB care services database, and the DigitalREGION.Rhein-Erft innovation hub.

Product overview

Rhein-Erft-Kreis operates as a German district administration offering a portfolio of e-government digital services. The core offering consists of the Bürgerportal (Citizen Portal) for online administrative matters, the PflegeDB nursing database platform, the DigitalREGION.Rhein-Erft initiative for regional digital transformation, the KATRETTER first responder app, the Energieoffensive REK energy program, and the IQREK educational center initiative. The services operate through the main website rhein-erft-kreis.de with a separate citizen portal and specialized sub-portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PflegeDB Rhein-Erft-Kreis: Internet platform providing information on care, nursing, and social services in the Rhein-Erft district.
• KATRETTER
• IQREK (InnoQuartier Rhein-Erft-Kreis)
• DigitalREGION.Rhein-Erft
• Energieoffensive REK 2026

Products and services

• Bürgerportal (Citizen Portal) Digital citizen portal enabling residents of the Rhein-Erft-Kreis district to handle administrative matters online, including service requests and appointment reservations, available 24/7.
• PflegeDB Rhein-Erft-Kreis Internet platform providing comprehensive information on nursing and social care services, including care facilities, counseling centers, home care, day care, short-term care, and support services, for residents and families in the Rhein-Erft district.
• DigitalREGION.Rhein-Erft Digital transformation initiative creating a technological innovation hub in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis district, forming part of the district's regional digital ecosystem strategy.
• KATRETTER Ersthelferapp (First Responder App) First responder mobile app that alerts medically trained adult volunteers — including firefighters, police, and THW members — to nearby medical emergencies, particularly cardiac arrest cases, before professional emergency services arrive.
• Energieoffensive REK 2026 Energy initiative and funding program promoting renewable energy, sustainability programs, and the Solaroffensive in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis district.
• IQREK (InnoQuartier Rhein-Erft-Kreis) Central educational location under development for the entire Rhein-Erft region, planned for completion by the end of 2028, supporting innovation and education.
• Virtuelle Verwaltung (Virtual Administration) 24/7 virtual administrative services providing A-Z access to district government services and corresponding contact information through the official website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Digital citizen services available 24/7 through Bürgerportal
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• Rhein-Kreis NeussmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Neighboring district collaborating on developing a model region for digital twins, combining resources and expertise for digital transformation.
• Wirtschaftsförderung Rhein-Erft GmbH (WFG)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development corporation for the Rhein-Erft district, supporting business development and investment in the region. The partnership works on regional economic promotion and business support services.
• Energie-Kompetenz-Zentrum (EKZ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy competence center focused on sustainable energy solutions and the energy offensive (Energieoffensive REK) program in the district.
• REVG Rhein-Erft-Verkehrsgesellschaft mbHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal public transportation company responsible for organizing and managing public transport services in the Rhein-Erft district.
• Wasserzentrum Gymnicher MühlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater experience park and nature center located at Gymnicher Mühle, offering water-related educational and recreational activities.
• Hoch-Begabten-Zentrum Rheinland gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGifted education center serving the Rhineland region, providing advanced educational programs and support for gifted students.
• Regio GrünminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional green space initiative focused on environmental conservation and sustainable development in the region.
• Stadt Umland Netzwerk (S.U.N.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity-suburban network connecting urban and rural communities for collaborative regional development initiatives.
• Rhein-Erft Tourismus e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism association promoting the Rhein-Erft region as a destination for visitors, showcasing local attractions and cultural offerings.
• kdvz Rhein-Erft-RurcoreTechnology or IntegrationMunicipal IT service provider that technically operates and maintains the district's website and digital infrastructure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kreis Viersen: NRW Kreis of similar municipal composition and scale; operates equivalent public administration services, digital citizen portals, and emergency response coordination under the same statutory framework.
• Rhein-Kreis Neuss: Neighboring NRW Kreis of comparable scale with similar statutory district administration responsibilities; Rhein-Erft-Kreis's active partner on the digital twin model region initiative announced 2026-07-01.
• Rhein-Sieg-Kreis: Adjacent NRW Kreis in the Cologne region with overlapping municipal composition and similar population scale; structurally equivalent district administration with comparable citizen service mandate.
• Städteregion Aachen: NRW district entity (Städteregion) with similar statutory administration mandate; comparable scale and portfolio of digital e-government services for citizens in a metropolitan-adjacent region.
• Oberbergischer Kreis: NRW Kreis operating under the same Kreisordnung NRW framework; comparable district administration responsibilities with overlapping digital citizen service and infrastructure mandates.
• Kreis Mettmann: NRW Kreis of similar population profile located in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region; operates the same statutory district-level administration functions and digital citizen services under Kreisordnung NRW.
• Kreis Düren: NRW Kreis participating in the same European structural transformation process; comparable in administrative scope, geographic setting (Cologne/Bonn region), and citizen service portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Dataport: Public-sector IT service provider for German state administrations; overlaps with Rhein-Erft-Kreis's digital infrastructure and e-government delivery, though serving a broader multi-state portfolio rather than a single district.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rheinerftkreis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rhein-erft-kreis

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Rhein-erft-kreis