T3CON24 Recap - GSB 11: Open Source CMS Modernizing German Government
Government Content Management with GSB 11: A Deep Dive into the Open Source CMS Transforming German Federal Administration
At the Public Sector Day panel discussion, representatives from Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI) and the Federal Information Technology Center (ITZBund) shared insights into their decision to adopt TYPO3 as the foundation for Government Site Builder (GSB 11). This large-scale initiative represents a significant shift toward open source solutions in government IT infrastructure, while maintaining stringent requirements for security, accessibility, and user experience.
About the Speakers
Silke Spielkamp
ITZBund
Silke has been a project manager at ITZBund since 2018, where she has been involved in implementing various projects. Since 2022, her focus has been on leading the GSB 11 development and rollout/migration projects. With extensive experience in the public sector, where she drove modernization projects across different organizations, Silke sees herself as a driving force for innovation and digitalization.
Nikolai Jaklitsch
ITZBund
Nikolai joined the Federal Information Technology Center (ITZBund) in 2017 as a project manager and became head of department eGovernment Basic Services (eGovernment-Basisdienste) in 2019. This unit is responsible for the new TYPO3-based content management system Government Site Builder, which offers an easy-to-use-solution for all federal governmental bodies.
Katja Helfert and Claudia Pülicher
Federal Minisry of the Interior and Home Affairs (BMI)
Katja Helfert and Claudia Pülicher are consultants in the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs in the "Digital Society; Information Technology" department. As measure managers in the "Services Consolidation" program, they jointly lead the "Government Site Builder (GSB)" measure.
GSB 11 Technical requirements and implementation
The panel discussed various complex requirements that still needed to be addressed. Katja Helfert highlighted accessibility as a major concept: "This means, in effect, making all digital content accessible to people with disabilities. Making it perceptible and operable. And in our case, with the GSB, it effectively concerns two aspects. First, the output web pages, which must be accessible—and they already are. Second, and a much larger topic, is the underlying editorial system"
Nikolai Jaklitsch emphasized non-functional requirements: "Things like security specifications, which are particularly important for federal administration. Or also things that are of central importance to us in ITZ-Bund hosting." He also highlighted the importance of digital sovereignty and automation capabilities given the large scale of deployment.
Silke Spielkamp added that besides common CMS functionalities, they also implemented administration-specific requirements. "In general, we've built a digital requirements platform. Our regulatory authorities can integrate their requirements there, and discuss them with each other. Through a voting process, we establish prioritization, which determines how we shape the roadmap to address these requirements."
Accessibility: comprehensive implementation
The panel devoted significant attention to discussing accessibility features. Silke Spielkamp explained: "We've developed a fully designed standard template. With that, we can directly create any web presence. It's tested by an independent external body." However, she noted that human factors still play a crucial role: "Editors must also add alternative texts, must pay attention to contrasts... Layer-8 errors [human errors] can't be caught by any standard template."
Katja Helfert added that they conduct both mandatory BITV (accessibility) tests and additional academic tests with people of all abilities: "We've already conducted three and they're planned to continue in the future."
Extension management and custom development
Regarding the use of extensions versus in-house development, Nikolai Jaklitsch explained: "Fundamentally we pursue the goal of using as many extensions as possible. Wherever there's the possibility to use extensions, we want to do that." However, he noted that sometimes framework conditions necessitate in-house development, particularly when considering license costs and digital sovereignty: "We want to be vitally sovereign in that we as the federal government can control the topics ourselves and potentially not become dependent on individual service providers."
Current status and achievements
Addressing common misconceptions, Silke Spielkamp firmly stated that GSB 11 is ready for use: "We already went live with the first web presence in summer... Just yesterday, we launched two more pages." She also emphasized their commitment to transparency: "Our source code is played live on OpenCoDE. So it's up to date daily... Every three months we make a major release."
Claudia Pülicher confirmed that there are indeed GSB11-based websites in production: "We have four web presences now that have gone live. Among others, the Federal Criminal Police Office with a website on internal security forms... We have the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, which recently went online with a website."
At T3CON, Niki Jaklitsch stopped by to talk about the GSB with our host, Tom Warwick. Check it out right after the introduction.
The open source future in public administration
When asked about the myth that open source and public administration don't go together, Nikolai Jaklitsch emphatically responded, "I personally consider this myth definitely false. Public authority and open source go very well together, even though there's still a way to go."
Jaklitsch elaborated on the current challenges: "Very often we can't react as quickly as we would like to and as the community quite rightly expects from us, because we currently still need to go through many approval processes etc." However, he remained optimistic about the future: "I'm confident that this will sort itself out, as our departments will see that this collaboration works."
This comprehensive approach to government content management demonstrates how modern technical solutions can be successfully implemented within the constraints of public administration while maintaining high standards for accessibility, security, and user experience. The GSB 11 project stands as a testament to the viability of open source solutions in government IT infrastructure, paving the way for future digital transformation initiatives across the public sector.
Conclusion
The GSB 11 initiative marks a pivotal moment for both the German federal administration and TYPO3. With four successful website launches already completed and over 25 federal authorities in the implementation phase, the project demonstrates how government digital services can effectively embrace open source solutions. The selection of TYPO3 as the foundation for consolidating approximately 550 web presences across 100 federal authorities not only validates its enterprise capabilities but also signals a bright future for the platform in the public sector. As the project continues to evolve, with its strong focus on accessibility, security, and collaboration through OpenCoDE, it sets a compelling example for other governments considering open source content management solutions.
Public sector organizations engage their constituents more effectively when utilizing TYPO3's range of powerful features. Increase efficiency and enjoy a high-performing website with TYPO3.
T3CON24 at a Glance
Did you enjoy this recap? If you would like to relive all the exciting moments from T3CON24, be sure to check our our recap of the entire conference!
