Custom software for partnerships
Appfront builds custom software for inter-municipal partnerships and joint arrangements under Dutch law (gemeenschappelijke regelingen): one application serving several participants, each with their own setup. This includes separation per participant (multi-tenant), authorisation per municipality, reporting and cost allocation per participant, and integration with the systems of each participating organisation. This is precisely where off-the-shelf packages often fall short.
What is software for a collaborative partnership?
More and more municipalities carry out tasks together through a joint arrangement under the Dutch Joint Arrangements Act (Wgr): shared service centres for ICT, HR or finance, tax collaborations, regional social services and work agencies, environmental services, and waste and archive services. Such a partnership serves multiple participants, and that plurality places its own demands on the software.
Custom software for a partnership therefore serves multiple participants, each with their own setup, from a single system: data and case files separated per participant (multi-tenant), authorisation per municipality, reporting and cost allocation per participant, and integration with the varied systems of each participating organisation. We configure the allocation key, roles and integrations as agreed in the arrangement.
Off-the-shelf packages usually assume a single organisation with a single setup; with multiple tenants who work differently, and have different settlements and integrations, that breaks down. Custom software lets you model that separation and settlement precisely. We build in line with the Dutch Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO) and align the software with the arrangement's actual processes, so it grows as participants join or leave. See also our software for municipalities.
One system, multiple participants
Multi-tenant by design: each participating municipality has its own separate environment within the same application. The partnership manages centrally, while each participant keeps its own setup, data and way of working.
Reporting per participant
Management and accountability information per municipality and for the arrangement as a whole. Each participant sees its own figures, while the partnership's board keeps the overall picture, aligned with the budget and annual accounts.
Cost allocation and settlement
Usage, volumes or deployment are tracked per participant and charged according to the agreed allocation key. Substantiated overviews per municipality make settlement within the arrangement traceable and verifiable.
Our approach to software for partnerships
We work with an approach that removes uncertainty early and delivers software that all participants understand and trust. From an initial analysis of the arrangement, the setup per participant and the required integrations, through to go-live and ongoing maintenance, every step is aimed at an application your partnership can continue to manage itself.
We map out the arrangement: which participants, which processes, how the setup differs per municipality, which allocation key applies, and which systems each participant needs to be integrated with.
We design the multi-tenant architecture, the separation and authorisation per participant, the reporting and settlement model and the interfaces, with the BIO as the starting point.
Implementation with automated tests, structured logging and monitoring. You and the participants see working versions along the way and help steer the setup.
Controlled go-live with data validation and safety nets, followed by ongoing management, including when a participant joins or leaves.
What software delivers concretely for a partnership
We tailor every application specifically to the arrangement, the participants and the connected systems. Below are the features we most often deliver for joint arrangements and shared service centres that serve several participants from a single system.
Multi-tenant per participant
Each participant's data, case files and settings are logically separated within the same application. The partnership manages centrally; each participating municipality keeps its own setup, with no data mixing between participants.
Authorisation per municipality
Roles and permissions per participant follow the principle of least privilege: a staff member sees and edits only what belongs to their own organisation. The partnership's administrators keep overall oversight, with clearly controllable separation of authority.
Reporting & accountability
Management information per participant and across the whole arrangement: dashboards, periodic overviews and exports that align with the budget and annual accounts. Each municipality can account for its share, and the board sees the full picture.
Cost allocation and settlement
Consumption, volumes or deployment are recorded per participant and charged according to the agreed allocation key. We set up the allocation methodology as laid down in the joint arrangement, with substantiated overviews per participant.
Integration per participant
Every participant runs its own systems. We connect to common government interfaces such as Digikoppeling and the ZGW APIs, with an integration setup tailored to each municipality.
Participants joining and leaving
An arrangement changes: municipalities join or leave. The software is built so that a new participant can be set up, or a departing participant cleanly offboarded, including data transfer and adjustment of the allocation key.
For which partnerships
Joint arrangements take many forms. We often see a number of recurring patterns, and each shares the same core: several participants, each with their own setup, with reporting and cost allocation per participant.
Shared service centres
Shared ICT, HR or financial services for multiple municipalities. One application serves all participants, with service delivery and reporting per municipality and a cost allocation that justifies each participant's usage. Often combined with our software for municipalities.
Tax collaborations
Regional collaborations that levy and collect municipal taxes for several participants. Assessments, objections and settlements are tracked per municipality. See also our software for municipal taxes.
Social services & work organisations
Regional social services and work agencies that administer benefits, reintegration and participation for multiple municipalities. Case files and reporting per participant, with integration into national services such as Suwinet.
Environmental, waste and archive services
Implementation services that take on tasks on behalf of multiple municipalities, such as an environmental service that is itself a joint arrangement. Work processes and accountability per participant. See also our software for environmental services.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and government integrations
We build on a modern, maintainable web stack and connect to the standard interfaces used by government, configured per participant. This way, each connected municipality stays linked in its own way, and your collaboration can continue to manage or further develop the software itself.
Why choose Appfront for your partnership?
Appfront builds custom software for the Dutch government and understands the particular position of a joint arrangement: you work on behalf of multiple participants, each with their own setup and accountability. We always begin with a thorough analysis of the arrangement and the processes for each participant. Software must not only work technically, but also respect the agreements within the partnership.
On every project we write clear documentation and make sure your own organisation, or any future supplier, can understand and manage the software. No black box, but transparent code and clear agreements on monitoring, alerting and maintenance.
You work with a dedicated point of contact who understands both the technical and the functional side. This keeps communication short, prevents misunderstandings and speeds up decisions when choices need to be made during development.
See also our services for software for municipalities, software for environmental services, software for water boards and AI for municipalities and government. Or get in touch directly.
- Experience with custom software for the Dutch government
- Multi-tenant architecture with separation and authorisation per participant
- Reporting and cost allocation per participant, set up around the distribution key
- Development in line with the BIO, GDPR and accessibility requirements
- Connecting to government interfaces such as Digikoppeling and the ZGW APIs
- Clear documentation that your organisation can read and manage
- A fixed point of contact, no account managers passed around
- Ongoing maintenance, including when participants join or leave
Security and privacy for software for partnerships
A joint arrangement processes personal data on behalf of multiple participants. Appfront builds in line with the Baseline Informatiebeveiliging Overheid (BIO). This means, among other things: data minimisation, role-based access and data isolation per participant, encryption in transit and at rest, and extensive logging of processing activities.
We document the data flows and processor roles per participant, so that each connected municipality keeps its record of processing activities complete and can demonstrate compliance with the GDPR. Where citizens or businesses use the software, we build to accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.1 AA / DigiToegankelijk) so that the service is usable by everyone.
More on our security approach: information security policy and CVD policy.
- Development in line with the Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO)
- GDPR-compliant data processing and data minimisation
- Data isolation and role-based access per participant
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Audit logs with traceable processing per participant
- WCAG 2.1 AA / DigiToegankelijk where citizens use the software
- Monitoring and alerting for anomalies
- Documentation for each participant's record of processing activities
Frequently asked questions about software for partnerships
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about software for joint arrangements.
Software for a collaboration is a custom application that serves multiple participants, such as the municipalities within a joint arrangement, from a single system, while each participant maintains its own configuration, data and reporting. Think of a shared service centre for ICT, HR or finance, a joint tax collection service or a regional social services agency. The software handles separation per participant (multi-tenant), authorisation per municipality, reporting and cost allocation per participant, and integration with the systems of each connected organisation.
Standard packages usually assume a single organisation with one set-up. With a joint arrangement (gemeenschappelijke regeling), you serve several participants, each with their own way of working, authorisation structure, reporting needs and cost-sharing agreements. This is exactly where standard packages often fall short: multiple tenants with different set-ups, cost allocation and integrations per participant. Custom software lets you model that separation and cost-sharing precisely as the arrangement has been agreed, without having to fit the assumptions of a package.
We build the application multi-tenant: each participant's data, files and settings are logically separated, with authorisation per municipality or organisation. An employee sees and edits only what belongs to their participant, while the partnership itself can report across the whole. Roles, rights and data isolation are set up on a least-privilege basis, so the separation is demonstrable and auditable.
Yes. A frequently requested feature is settlement and cost allocation per participant: usage, volumes or input are tracked per municipality and charged according to the agreed allocation key. This produces substantiated overviews per participant that align with the arrangement's budget and annual accounts. We set up the allocation methodology as it is laid down in the joint arrangement.
A joint arrangement serves participants who each run their own systems. We therefore connect to the common government interfaces, such as Digikoppeling for secure messaging between government bodies, the ZGW APIs for case-based working and StUF where it is still in use. The integration can differ per participant; we handle that in the architecture so that each connected municipality stays connected in its own way.
Yes. We develop in accordance with the GDPR and the Baseline Informatiebeveiliging Overheid (BIO), with data minimisation, role-based access, encryption in transit and at rest, and comprehensive logging. Because a partnership processes personal data on behalf of several participants, we document the data flows and processor roles so that each participant can demonstrate GDPR compliance. Where citizens use the software, we build to the accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.1 AA / DigiToegankelijk).
Yes. Appfront regularly takes over management of existing applications, including those built by another party. We review the architecture, the separation between participants, the integrations and the security, document the current set-up and propose improvements. From that point we can handle adjustments, extensions, monitoring and further development, for example when a participant joins or leaves.
We build for a wide range of joint arrangements: shared service centres for ICT, HR or finance across several municipalities, tax partnerships, regional social services and work agencies, environmental services, waste partnerships and archive services. The common thread is that several participants, each with their own set-up, are served from a single system, with reporting and cost allocation per participant.
Ready to have software built for your partnership?
Tell us which tasks your joint arrangement carries out, which participants are involved and how the set-up differs per municipality. We are happy to help you think through multi-tenant design, reporting and cost allocation per participant, and the right government integrations. A no-obligation first conversation will quickly give you a clear picture of what is possible.