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This is a prototype vision of how a future government service could work. It's not a real service yet, but we're exploring what it could look like. Your feedback will help shape the real service.

About NDX:Try

Learn about the NDX:Try AWS Scenarios platform and how it helps UK councils evaluate cloud solutions

What is NDX:Try?

NDX:Try is a free platform helping UK councils explore AWS cloud scenarios through hands-on evaluation. Deploy real AI and cloud solutions in 15 minutes, test with realistic council data, and generate committee-ready evidence packs.

Our mission is simple: Let councils try before they buy. As part of the NDX:Try programme, AWS is providing all scenarios completely FREE - zero cost to your council, zero commitment, and zero cloud expertise required.

Part of the LGA AI Ecosystem

NDX:Try is part of the broader AI innovation landscape for local government, working alongside the LGA AI Hub to help councils adopt AI responsibly.

The Local Government Association (LGA) AI Hub provides:

  • Policy guidance on AI adoption in local government
  • Case studies from councils implementing AI solutions
  • Research on AI opportunities and risks
  • Networking with peers exploring similar challenges

NDX:Try complements this by providing practical, hands-on evaluation of specific AWS scenarios councils can deploy and test themselves.

How It Works

1. Discover

Take our 2-minute quiz or browse scenarios to find solutions matching your council’s needs. Each scenario addresses a real local government challenge:

  • Citizen engagement (chatbots, text-to-speech)
  • Service efficiency (planning AI, FOI redaction)
  • Data insights (smart car parks, QuickSight dashboards)

2. Deploy

Launch AWS scenarios with one click using pre-configured CloudFormation templates. No cloud expertise required - we handle the infrastructure setup automatically.

Your deployment runs in an isolated Innovation Sandbox, completely separate from your production systems.

3. Experience

Walk through guided demos with realistic UK council data. See exactly how the solution works, test edge cases, and understand operational implications.

Each scenario includes:

  • Step-by-step walkthroughs (5-15 minutes)
  • Screenshot galleries showing the user experience
  • Video demonstrations (optional)
  • Sample data reflecting real council use cases

4. Evaluate

Generate evidence packs for committee presentations. Download PDFs containing:

  • Executive summary tailored to your persona (CTO, Service Manager, Finance Director)
  • Technical architecture diagrams
  • Cost projections and ROI analysis
  • Security and compliance considerations
  • Implementation timeline

5. Proceed

Connect with approved G-Cloud suppliers for implementation. Each scenario links directly to relevant G-Cloud services, with search terms pre-filled for your convenience.

Who It’s For

CTOs and IT Leads

  • Evaluate technical architecture and security posture
  • Review infrastructure-as-code templates
  • Test integration with existing systems
  • Assess operational complexity

Service Managers

  • See citizen impact through realistic demos
  • Understand operational benefits and workflows
  • Identify process improvements
  • Evaluate user experience

Finance Directors

  • Review detailed cost projections
  • Compare deployment vs operational costs
  • Assess ROI and payback periods
  • Plan multi-year budgets

Developers

  • Explore technical implementation details
  • Review CloudFormation templates
  • Understand AWS service integrations
  • Learn infrastructure-as-code patterns

Platform Principles

Our design is guided by these core principles:

1. Grant Permission to Try

“You’re not the first council to explore cloud AI, and you won’t be the last.”

We normalize exploration and reduce imposter syndrome. Councils shouldn’t feel behind for investigating new technology.

2. Promise Safety

  • Isolated Innovation Sandbox: Your evaluation is completely separate from production systems
  • Automatic cleanup: Resources are deleted when you’re done
  • Completely FREE: AWS provides all scenarios at no cost as part of NDX:Try
  • No data leakage: Sample data only, no connection to real citizen records

3. Respect Time

  • 15 minutes to first insight: Not 15 hours or 15 days
  • Skip deployment: Watch videos and screenshots instead
  • Evidence packs: Share with leadership without writing reports from scratch
  • Quick-start guides: Get productive immediately

4. Enable Sharing

  • All content is shareable with colleagues and leadership
  • Evidence packs are presentation-ready
  • Screenshots and videos can be embedded in business cases
  • Open source code enables peer review

Technology Stack

NDX:Try is built with:

  • Static site: Eleventy (11ty) with GOV.UK Design System
  • Hosting: AWS (S3 + CloudFront)
  • Templates: AWS CloudFormation for infrastructure-as-code
  • Analytics: Google Analytics 4 (privacy-first)
  • Accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA compliant

All code is open source under the MIT License: View on GitHub

Get Involved

For Councils

For Partners

  • List your G-Cloud services: Ensure your offerings appear in scenario Next Steps pages
  • Contribute scenarios: Propose new use cases for the platform
  • Co-develop content: Partner with us on case studies and videos

For Developers

  • Contribute code: Submit pull requests on GitHub
  • Report bugs: Use GitHub Issues for technical problems
  • Suggest improvements: Share ideas for new scenarios or features

Governance

NDX:Try is governed by the NDX Partnership, with oversight from:

  • Local Government Association - Policy alignment and outreach
  • Central Digital and Data Office - Technical standards and security
  • NHS Digital - Healthcare data standards (for relevant scenarios)

Roadmap

Upcoming enhancements:

  • More scenarios: Azure and Google Cloud Platform in addition to AWS
  • Interactive demos: Live sandboxes without AWS account requirements
  • Success stories: Case studies from councils who deployed scenarios
  • Partner marketplace: Curated list of implementation partners
  • Community forum: Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing

Contact

For questions about NDX:Try, please contact us.

For partnership enquiries, email: ndx@dsit.gov.uk

For technical support: ndx@dsit.gov.uk

Part of the LGA AI ecosystem
This platform works alongside the LGA AI Hub to help councils adopt AI responsibly.