Digital public services built for real-world complexity.
From citizen-facing services to the systems behind national administration, Helmes develops, integrates and modernises software that public institutions depend on. Our experience spans national governments, local authorities and international organisations across Europe.
Why public institutions choose Helmes
Government systems must meet strict security and regulatory requirements, connect multiple institutions and adapt to changing legislation without disrupting essential public services. Helmes brings experience in managing these challenges, from modernising national platforms to developing secure systems that support complex public administration processes.
Interoperability across government systems
Connecting national registers, government agencies and EU information systems through X-Road, APIs and complex data integrations. Our experience includes integrating population and business registers, national identity services, judicial information systems and government portals, enabling secure data exchange between institutions while maintaining compatibility with existing infrastructure.
Modernisation of mission-critical systems
Modernising legacy government applications, introducing new architectures and migrating functionality while keeping essential services operational. Our experience includes replacing outdated technologies, improving system maintainability and adapting established platforms to new requirements without rebuilding everything from scratch.
Security, identity and data protection
Developing systems that handle sensitive government data, digital identity, access rights and authorisations. Our experience covers secure authentication, role-based permissions and personal data protection, supported by ISO/IEC 27001 certification and experience working with GDPR requirements.
Complex institutional and regulatory requirements
Developing systems that serve multiple public institutions, support different user roles, approval processes and administrative workflows. Our experience includes translating legislative requirements into system functionality, accommodating changes in regulations and ensuring that solutions reflect how public institutions operate and work together.
Experience in digital government
Helmes combines practical government domain knowledge with custom software development, integration and long-term modernization. Our experience covers central government, municipalities and areas such as taxation, justice, social protection, healthcare, employment and agriculture, among others. More than 30% of e-Estonia’s digital services have been developed by Helmes.
Our work in the public sector
Designing a digital platform for international seed certification
Helmes worked with the OECD to prototype a digital platform for agricultural seed certification, involving national authorities to simplify information exchange and cross-border collaboration.
- 62 countries participating in the OECD Seed Schemes
- <6 months pre-analysis, ideation and prototyping completed
Modernising Estonia’s national e-services portal
Helmes modernised Estonia’s state portal, eesti.ee, by introducing a micro-frontend architecture. The new approach simplifies maintenance, allows government institutions to integrate and reuse services more easily, and reduces development effort.
- 2 citizen and business portals combined into one application
- 10 applications in the original portal architecture
Modernising the European Space Agency’s digital portal
Helmes helped the European Space Agency (ESA) modernise its activities portal, making it easier for contractors to share project results and collaborate with ESA experts. Using agile development, the team delivered the first update within one month and continued improving the platform.
- 1 month to deliver the first portal update
- 22 ESA member states supporting international space research
Helping Estonians plan their retirement
Helmes developed a personalised pension calculator that brings together data from multiple government systems, helping citizens understand their pension entitlements and explore how life and financial decisions could affect their retirement. The solution also established a reusable foundation for future digital public services.
- 10,000+ users per day handled without issues during peak usage
- 500,000+ potential users among working-age citizens
Simplifying public administration data management
Helmes developed PAR.IS, a centralised data collection, analysis and reporting platform for SIGMA, a joint OECD and EU initiative. The system replaces fragmented spreadsheets and manual processes, making it easier to collect, validate and analyse public administration data across countries.
- 52 public administration indicators monitored
- 340+ sub-indicators used to assess public administration reforms
Simplifying kindergarten enrolment
Helmes helped Estonia assess a shared digital service for kindergarten enrolment, using research and service design to simplify applications for parents and support more proactive public services.
- 23 parents and public sector representatives interviewed
- 80% of children expected to attend kindergarten in their municipality of birth
Centralising operations at Riga Technical University
Helmes Latvia implemented a centralised SAP platform for Riga Technical University, bringing finance, accounting, HR and project management into one digital environment. The solution reduces administrative work, improves access to information and supports the university’s long-term digitalisation.
- Unified business processes
- Scalable digital foundation
Data and AI in government
AI offers new opportunities for public institutions, but its value depends on reliable data and well-defined processes. Helmes has years of experience developing data platforms, analytics and AI solutions across industries, including the early use of machine learning to improve job matching in Estonia’s public employment services. Our AI Value Scan service helps organisations identify and prioritise practical AI opportunities.
Software solutions for public sector organisations
Our work covers the services people use and the systems public institutions rely on to deliver them.
Government portals and digital public services
Public registers and data exchange platforms
Government workflow and case management systems
Taxation, customs and public finance systems
Social protection and employment systems
Digital identity and authorisation solutions
Government data, analytics and AI solutions
Grants, subsidies and public funding systems
Don’t see your solution here?
We’ve developed many more custom solutions for public institutions and international organisations. Talk to our experts about your systems, challenges and development plans.
Proven expertise in the public sector
Standards, frameworks and regulatory experience
Our experience covers public sector interoperability, information security, digital identity and regulatory requirements, including:
- X-Road – Secure data exchange between government registers and information systems;
- ISO/IEC 27001 – Certified information security management;
- GDPR – Personal data protection and secure processing of government information;
- EU Union Customs Code (UCC) – Electronic customs procedures, including import, export and transit;
- BAC, SAC, PA, AA, CA and TA – Security mechanisms for electronic identity documents and biometric data processing.
Technical expertise for complex public sector systems
- AI-assisted development and testing to support efficient delivery, maintainability and software quality in business-critical government systems.
- Government data management and systems integration connecting national registers, public institutions, legacy systems and digital services.
- Stable, experienced delivery teams with 5+ years of working together, combining technical expertise with an understanding of public sector processes and long-term institutional needs.
Proven results in public sector software development
Helmes combines public sector expertise with stable delivery teams that have worked together for 5+ years. Our teams know the technologies, processes and each other, allowing them to work more efficiently and solve complex challenges faster. Together with our proven software engineering approach and long-term responsibility for the systems we build, this translates into higher productivity, lower costs and dependable public services.
Statistics Estonia
Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund
OECD’s .Stat Suite
Estonian Agricultural Registers and Information Board
Our experts in public sector software development
Whether you’re improving a public service, replacing a legacy component, connecting registers or assessing an AI opportunity, we can help you discuss the scope, dependencies and next steps. We start with a free consultation to understand your requirements and how we could work together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of public sector software does Helmes develop?
Helmes has delivered 100+ public sector projects, including government portals, national registers, taxation and customs systems, public finance, digital identity, healthcare, education and social protection solutions. Our experience spans national and local governments across Europe and international organisations such as the OECD and European Space Agency (ESA).
Can Helmes modernise and maintain existing government systems?
Yes. Helmes modernises legacy systems, improves their architecture and integrates new functionality while supporting existing services. Our experience includes modernising Estonia’s national portal eesti.ee, upgrading government databases and maintaining business-critical public finance, healthcare and administrative systems over many years.
Does Helmes have experience with national registers and government system interoperability?
Yes. Helmes has developed and integrated national registers, government databases and information exchange platforms using X-Road, APIs and secure data exchange services. Our experience includes population and business registers, justice systems, government portals and customs platforms integrating more than 30 national and European information systems.
Has Helmes developed taxation, customs and public finance systems?
Yes. Helmes has developed electronic customs systems covering import, export and transit procedures, including integrations with national and EU information systems. Our experience also includes state budget management, financial administration and government subsidy systems. In Estonia, a subsidy management platform developed by Helmes reduced average application processing time by 43%.
What experience does Helmes have with national healthcare and social protection systems?
Helmes has developed and maintained national healthcare information systems, including e-prescriptions, electronic sick leave, vaccination records, patient and healthcare provider registers, medical billing and healthcare financing. Our public sector experience also covers pensions, unemployment services, social benefits and emergency wage subsidy systems.
Does Helmes develop software for international public sector organisations?
Yes. Helmes has delivered digital solutions for international institutions and public administration programmes, including the OECD, European Space Agency (ESA) and OECD/EU SIGMA initiative. Our projects cover international data platforms, statistical reporting, public administration analysis, certification processes and institutional collaboration systems.
Does Helmes have experience with digital identity and biometric systems?
Yes. Helmes has developed and maintained government systems supporting passport and ID card issuance, biometric data processing and integration with cameras, fingerprint readers and document chips. Our experience also includes national identity integrations, electronic authentication, digital signatures and secure access to public services.
What standards and regulatory requirements does Helmes work with in public sector software development?
Helmes has experience with X-Road for secure government data exchange, GDPR requirements for personal data protection and ISO/IEC 27001-certified information security management. Our projects also include electronic customs systems developed in accordance with the EU Union Customs Code and government identity systems using biometric and electronic document security mechanisms.
How does Helmes work with public sector organisations?
Helmes works with public institutions through dedicated development teams, fixed-scope projects and long-term development and maintenance partnerships, including public procurement contracts. Our teams collaborate with internal IT specialists and stakeholders, covering business analysis, UX/UI design, architecture, software development, integration, testing and ongoing support. Stable teams with 5+ years of working together help maintain continuity and knowledge of complex government systems.
How does cooperation typically start?
Usually with a discovery discussion where we analyse your current systems and define the best approach to move forward.