OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD
Open Digital Cooperative is a UK not-for-profit multi-stakeholder cooperative that develops and maintains the open-source LocalGov Drupal CMS and Microsites platform, serving subscribing UK and Irish local government councils and a network of supplier firms through voluntary annual membership fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersEastbourne, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD does
Open Digital Cooperative Ltd is a not-for-profit multi-stakeholder cooperative founded in January 2023 and headquartered in the UK. It was created to run, develop, and ensure the financial sustainability of LocalGov Drupal, an open-source software community that builds digital products for local government. The cooperative's registered name deliberately avoids 'Drupal' both because of trademark considerations and because of its stated ambition to serve public sector bodies and third-sector organisations beyond local government.
The cooperative maintains two core products, both built on Drupal: LocalGov Drupal CMS, an open-source content management system purpose-built for UK council websites with pre-built themes, workflows, and public-sector features; and the LocalGov Microsites platform, which lets councils launch lightweight websites for specific campaigns or services. Product development is governed by a Product Group and Technical Group drawn from council and supplier members, with a five-person core team (Product, Technical, Communications, Community, and Development Leads) handling day-to-day operations. Governance sits with a board of directors elected by the membership, which includes both supplier firms (such as Agile Collective, Friendly Digital, Open Code, and Zoocha) and subscribing councils (including Essex County Council, Brighton & Hove, Southwark, and Wirral).
The cooperative is funded entirely by voluntary annual subscription fees from its council and supplier members. These fees cover product development, maintenance, user support, community resources (including Slack), community sessions, communications, and administration. The entity operates under an asset lock, meaning it cannot distribute profits and is structurally barred from outside capital such as venture or private equity investment. As of the latest available data, it has 35+ member organisations spanning UK councils, one Irish council, and a network of digital supplier firms.
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD
- Legal name
- Open Digital Cooperative Ltd
- Website
- https://opendigital.coop
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Open Digital Cooperative is a UK not-for-profit multi-stakeholder cooperative that develops and maintains the open-source LocalGov Drupal CMS and Microsites platform, serving subscribing UK and Irish local government councils and a network of supplier firms through voluntary annual membership fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open-Source Public Sector Content Management Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)
Keywords
Where OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eastbourne
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Fees: Voluntary subscription fees paid by participating councils and suppliers. Fees fund product development, maintenance, support, community resources, communications, and general administration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Voluntary subscription for councils and suppliers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Digital Cooperative maintains and develops open-source digital products for the UK public sector, specifically LocalGov Drupal CMS and the LocalGov Microsites platform. It funds ongoing development, maintenance, support, community resources, and administration through voluntary annual subscription fees paid by its member councils and supplier organisations under a multi-stakeholder cooperative structure with an asset lock.
Product overview
Open Digital Cooperative is a not-for-profit multi-stakeholder cooperative that maintains and develops the LocalGov Drupal open-source product suite. The company operates two core products: LocalGov Drupal CMS (a full-featured content management system for council websites) and LocalGov Microsites platform (for creating supplementary lightweight sites). Both products are developed collaboratively with council members and suppliers, governed by a Product Group and Technical Group, and supported through a subscription model funded by participating councils and suppliers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LocalGov Drupal: A community of digital professionals from councils and suppliers who build and maintain open-source products for councils, including LocalGov Drupal CMS and LocalGov Microsites platform.
- LocalGov Drupal CMS
- LocalGov Microsites platform
Products and services
- LocalGov Drupal CMS Open-source content management system built specifically for UK councils, providing pre-built themes, workflows, and features tailored to public-sector digital-service delivery. Maintained collaboratively by the Open Digital Cooperative community of councils and suppliers, governed through a Product Group and Technical Group, and funded by voluntary subscriptions from member councils and supplier firms.
- LocalGov Microsites platform Open-source microsites platform that enables councils to launch lightweight, focused websites for specific campaigns, services, or projects alongside their main LocalGov Drupal CMS site. Part of the LocalGov Drupal ecosystem and developed and maintained collaboratively by the cooperative community.
Companies that use OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
36 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Agile CollectivecoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development and provides services to councils. Elects board members and participates in governance through AGMs.
- AnnertechcoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development and provides services to councils. Elects board members and participates in governance through AGMs.
- Friendly DigitalcoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Representative Will Callaghan serves as Product Lead on the core team. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- Open CodecoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Representative Finn Lewis serves as Technical Lead on the core team. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- The ConfidentcoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Representative Mark Conroy serves on the board of directors. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- Big Blue DoorcoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development and provides services to councils.
- ChickencoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- Data Content ReachcoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development and provides services to councils.
- InvusecoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- NomensacoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- Orion WebcoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- Plan Alpha SystemscoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- RohallioncoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- TPX ImpactcoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- We Are ChickencoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- WebcurlcoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- ZoochacoreSupplier member of the cooperative. Contributes to LocalGov Drupal development.
- Bath & North East Somerset CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members. Contributes to product direction and testing.
- Blackburn with Darwen Borough CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Bracknell Forest CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Brighton and Hove City CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Representative Andy Broomfield serves on the board of directors. Participates in governance.
- Colchester Borough CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Croydon London Borough CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber. Previously administered government funding (Local Digital Fund) for LocalGov Drupal before the cooperative was established.
- CumberlandcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative (shared membership). Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Essex County CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Hart District CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Haringey CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Newcastle City CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- North Devon CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- North Kesteven District CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Southwark CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Representative Angie Forson serves on the board of directors. Participates in governance.
- Tipperary County CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members. Located in Republic of Ireland.
- Waltham Forest CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- West Lindsey District CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
- Wirral CouncilcoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative. Representative Jamie Dixon serves on the board of directors. Participates in governance.
- Westmoreland & FurnesscoreCouncil member subscriber of the cooperative (shared membership). Participates in governance through AGMs and elects board members.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Civica: Large UK public-sector software vendor offering a broad portfolio of council software including digital services. Represents the incumbent commercial alternative to ODC's cooperative approach.
- WordPress VIP: Enterprise WordPress offering used by numerous UK council websites. Represents the largest open-source CMS alternative competing for the same council digital-service budget.
- Acquia: Commercial Drupal hosting and services company. Provides the underlying Drupal platform many LocalGov Drupal implementations rely on, and could expand into more tailored UK public-sector offerings.
- Granicus: GovTech platform provider serving government clients with citizen engagement, websites, and communications tools. Competes with ODC for council digital-service mandates across multiple geographies.
Emerging players
- Liferay: Open-source digital experience platform used by some UK public-sector bodies. Represents an alternative open-source approach to council digital services beyond Drupal.
- TPX Impact: UK public-sector digital services consultancy and a supplier member of ODC. Comparable as a digital-delivery partner for councils and could overlap competitively on Drupal implementations.
Others
- Drupal Association: Non-profit that supports the underlying Drupal open-source project on which LocalGov Drupal is built. Comparable as an open-source community steward rather than a direct competitor.
- Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA): Industry organisation for digital agencies. Adjacent ecosystem player rather than direct competitor, but indicative of the broader digital-agency cooperative-style networks relevant to ODC's multi-stakeholder model.
Direct peers
- Jadu: UK-based CMS vendor specialising in local-government and public-sector websites. Directly competes with LocalGov Drupal in the same council customer segment with a proprietary rather than cooperative model.
- GOSS Interactive: Provides digital platforms and customer-journey tools for UK local authorities. Competes with ODC for the same council digital-service budget using a commercial SaaS model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD social profiles
Digital presenceOPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD 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 OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD
What does OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD do?
Open Digital Cooperative maintains and develops open-source digital products for the UK public sector, specifically LocalGov Drupal CMS and the LocalGov Microsites platform. It funds ongoing development, maintenance, support, community resources, and administration through voluntary annual subscription fees paid by its member councils and supplier organisations under a multi-stakeholder cooperative structure with an asset lock.
Is OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD a public or private company?
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD founded?
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD was founded in 2023.
Where is OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD based?
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD is headquartered in Eastbourne, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Fees.
Who are OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Civica, WordPress VIP, Acquia and Granicus. Emerging players are Liferay and TPX Impact. Others are Drupal Association and Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA). Direct peers are Jadu and GOSS Interactive.
Does OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD have an API?
No public API is recorded for OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD.
What industry is OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD in?
OPEN DIGITAL COOPERATIVE LTD's product category is Open-Source Public Sector Content Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAEAL, Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.