Skip to main content

Alpha This is a new service. Help us improve it and give your feedback by email.

About NDX:Try

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

About NDX:Try

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

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

How it works

1. Discover

Take our 2-minute quiz or browse scenarios to find solutions matching your organisation’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 session runs in an isolated NDX:Try environment, completely separate from your production systems.

3. Experience

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

Each scenario includes:

  • Step-by-step walkthroughs (5 to 15 minutes)
  • Screenshot galleries showing the user experience
  • Video demonstrations (optional)
  • Sample data reflecting real local government 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 this is 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 to explore cloud AI, and you will not be the last.”

We normalise exploration and reduce imposter syndrome. Organisations should not feel behind for investigating new technology.

2. Promise Safety

  • Isolated NDX:Try environment: 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 Local Government

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:

  • 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 organisations 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