Services
Alpha Stage Prototyping for Government Services
Test complex service ideas quickly and securely. We develop alpha-stage prototypes that explore technical risk, prove value and follow GDS standards so you can move forward with confidence.
TRUSTED BY GOVERNMENT TEAMS DELIVERING CRITICAL DIGITAL SERVICES
What if you could test complex services without committing to full-scale delivery?
When you’re facing tight budgets and pressure to do more with less, alpha-stage prototyping lets you explore whether a digital version of your service can work for users. We help you validate key assumptions, design around real citizen needs and reduce risk before scaling.
We work with
Central & Local Government Departments
Policy & Service Design Teams
Innovation & Digital Delivery Units
Procurement & Strategy Leads
Identity & Security Stakeholders
Deliverables that de-risk decisions and unlock progress
Evidence-backed prototypes. Confidence to move to beta.
Rapid discovery
Comprehensive outputs within 3–5 days, that define and shape the alpha hypothesis.
Alpha-stage prototype
Built to test real technical and service risks.
Proof of concept for complex ideas
Validates whether a challenging or untested approach is feasible, before you invest heavily.
Go / no go with next steps
Clear evidence to support a decision on whether to proceed and guidance on where to iterate or explore next when forward momentum isn’t yet justified.
GDS principles
Alignment with GDS principles, without requiring formal assessment.
Identify risks
Test technical risks and explore new solutions within structured digital service programmes.
Identify efficiencies
Identify efficiency opportunities to inform cost savings and process improvement.
Business case support
Business case artefacts to support stakeholder buy-in and funding justification
Decision-ready prototype
A tangible outcome that enables you to confidently decide: build, pivot, scale or walk away.
Real users
End-to-end service concepts tested with real users and mapped across teams.
“The effective digitisation of the UK Ship Register is a central element to the creation of a new operating model for the service; fit for the 21st Century. The solution that has been developed is elegant in its design, thorough in its understanding of the customer and simple in its execution leading users seamlessly through the process”
Dan Vivian
Commercial Director
A structured path from complexity to clarity
We guide you through a rapid, GDS-aligned alpha process, designed to test assumptions, reduce risk and prepare you for confident next steps.
1
Rapid discovery (3–5 days)
We unpack the problem, identify risky assumptions and define a focused alpha hypothesis, grounded in user needs and business priorities.
2
Prototype & explore
Our team builds an alpha-stage prototype designed to test technical and service risks, explore identity and security needs and assess efficiency opportunities.
3
Validate & recommend
We put your prototype in front of users and stakeholders to gather feedback, reduce risk and give you confidence in your next move.
Key technologies
The right tech stack isn’t just about tools, it’s about leverage. From core platforms to emerging innovations, we focus on solutions that integrate seamlessly, scale effortlessly and deliver measurable impact. No bloated systems. No wasted spend. Just the right technology, working hard for you.
Angular
React
Nest JS
SQL
No SQL
Node JS
Rabbit MQ
Java
Google Cloud
AWS
Microsoft Azure
Jenkins
GitHub Actions
Azure DevOps
OKTA
Auth0
Entra ID
Jira
ELK
Prometheus
Cloud Watch
Modular Monolith
DDD
Claude
Cursor AI
Open AI
.Net
Saving lives at sea with a digital, user-centred beacon registration service
Why clients choose Catapult
20+
Years of software development excellence
400+
Satisfied clients and thousands of successful projects
$
On time, on-budget and on-scope delivery
An ISO 27001 certified company
Fixed price guarantee. We guarantee to deliver the outcome we’ve agreed with you, at a fixed price.
Hothouse veterans. Rapid, iterative & hands-on. We’re pragmatic problem solvers who thrive on building things that work.
Prototypes with purpose. Our engineers write production-grade code from day one, not just glossy click-throughs.
Tech-agnostic, outcome-first. Guidance in selecting stacks that minimise costs & maximise ROI
Sector expertise
With a specialism across government and financial services, we have experience in 20+ sectors. We implement solutions to co-ordinate multiple business operations specific to your domain
Finance
Government
Education
Insurance
Banking
Telecoms
Real Estate
Retail
Gaming
Our expertise is frequently called upon
