Government plans reverse pitch events to drive digital change

The government has launched a series of “reverse pitch” events, aiming to bring together tech startups and departments to co-create digital solutions.

The aim is to allow startups and scaleups from across the country to work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to solve a set of complex problems identified by the departments.

Minister for transformation Andrew Western said the government is committed to “fundamentally reforming government to guarantee high-quality public services”.

“As part of this, we can look at what startups are doing to innovate further. Reverse pitch is a fantastic opportunity for industry to work with government to overcome the complex challenges we face, using technology to solve real life problems,” he said.

Startups will showcase their ideas on how to use technology with the goal of improving citizen experience. The events will focus on three specific challenges, including reducing the learning curve for operational staff by fixing the basics to allow staff to focus on training.

Another challenge will be focused on how to make the rehabilitation of prison leavers more individualised and improve the effectiveness of joined-up government services.

The last challenge is focused on DWP, which is looking to design a more transparent and time-efficient way for citizens to access the department’s services.

DWP CDIO Richard Corbridge said the department is keen to put the citizen at the heart of everything they do.

“It is an exciting time to be working in the technology sector. We can use the latest technology to solve real-life problems for citizens to improve the customer experience. We are already using AI and automation to speed up manual processes and allow our work coaches more time to spend with citizens,” he said.

“We are excited to be working with the minister of transformation and MoJ to hold reverse pitch events that will allow us to tap into the innovative ideas of agile startups to provide solutions for our business. I am looking forward to working with the startups on this collaboration so we can share our skills and ideas.”

The government will hold three reverse pitch events – in Leeds on 29 October, London on 30 October and Manchester on 31 October. Following the events, the departments will select some of the startups to work with DWP’s Innovation Studios in either of the three cities for a three-month period to refine the solution they have created, including building and testing.

MoJ director general Megan Lee Devlin said the department is “thrilled to be partnering with DWP” on the events.

“We believe that collaboration across government to help solve the common problems we share can only lead to better outcomes for our citizens,” she said.  

“These events provide an exciting opportunity for us to co-create innovative digital solutions that will address the key challenges faced by both departments, their colleagues and the citizens who use our services. By tapping into the creativity and expertise of startups, we can drive meaningful improvements and make a real difference.”