Designing digital public services responsibly
“What does it mean to build systems that serve the public good?”
Public administrations are under growing pressure to modernize services, adopt digital systems, and use AI responsibly.
Simultaneously, expectations are rising. Digital public services must be efficient – but also fair, transparent, inclusive, and trustworthy.
When systems are expected to reflect public values, the question is no longer whether to innovate – but how to do so responsibly.
What does this mean for concrete design decisions, procurement choices, and long-term accountability?
WHAT YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE
Digital transformation is accelerating – but public values are hard to translate into decisions
New technologies and vendor solutions are rapidly entering the public sector.
As a result, administrations are expected to provide digital services, adopt AI, and improve efficiency – often with limited resources and complex responsibilities.
At the same time, familiar questions arise:
How do we choose the right solution among competing vendors?
Does the the service ensure fairness, and transparency from the start?
Will responsibilities, decision rights, and accountability change?
Can concerns be raised early enough to influence decisions?
In practice, many public sector teams see the potential of digital transformation.
However, they often lack a clear structure to translate values, legal obligations, and public expectations into concrete system and make or buy decisions.
This is where Value-based Engineering (VBE) comes in.
HOW VBE SUPPORTS YOU
A structured approach to designing trustworthy digital public services
Value-based Engineering (VBE) is a standards-based methodology. It helps public institutions integrate ethical, legal, and societal values directly into system design and decision-making.
Rather than slowing projects down, VBE integrates seamlessly into existing planning, procurement, and development processes.
It provides administrations with clear, traceable decision inputs. Thereby, it aligns public values with technical and organizational choices.
With VBE, public sector teams gain clarity early, reduce rework, and shape system design. At the same time, they uphold public trust, prepare for audits, and allow for regulatory review.
Turn public values into clear, testable decision criteria
VBE helps translate abstract values such as fairness, transparency, or inclusion into concrete requirements, acceptance criteria, and design constraints. This allows for them to be evaluated and documented throughout the project lifecycle.
Identify ethical and social risks early
By mapping stakeholder values and potential impacts, VBE helps administrations surface risks – such as exclusion, bias, or unintended consequences. Thereby, the risks are addressed before they become embedded in systems, contracts, or architectures.
Create alignment across departments and disciplines
VBE establishes a shared language between policy, legal, procurement, IT, and service teams.
This reduces misunderstandings, clarifies responsibilities, and supports coordinated decision-making across organizational boundaries.
Reduce rework through structured decision-making
Clear reasoning behind trade-offs and design choices reduces late changes, procurement conflicts, and uncertainty during implementation – saving time and public resources.
Design systems ready for accountability and oversight
From documentation to rationale tracking, VBE supports the creation of systems that can withstand audits, regulatory reviews, and public questions. This strengthens trust in digital public services.
Want to learn more?
Explore the VBE Academy to discover our full training pathway and the broader ecosystem that supports responsible technology.
Learn how our programs, services, and community help you put values into practice.
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