Consul Democracy and Decidim development and maintenance
I help institutions roll out Consul Democracy and Decidim and run them in production: development, customisation and maintenance, from a former official Consul Democracy maintainer who knows these platforms from the inside.
Platforms
The two leading open-source participation platforms
Consul Democracy
Free software for citizen participation born at Madrid City Council (Decide Madrid) and used by institutions around the world. I was a certified developer and official maintainer for the Consul Democracy Foundation; today I help institutions such as Valencia City Council roll it out and run it in production.
Decidim
Free participatory democracy platform born in Barcelona, built with Ruby on Rails like Consul Democracy. I help institutions such as Sant Cugat del Vallès roll it out and run it in production.
What I can do for your platform
Everything a participation platform needs, from the first customisation to everyday maintenance.
New features
I develop the modules and processes your participation team needs, aligned with the platform's roadmap so they don't get in the way of future upgrades.
Look & feel customisation
Your institution's colours, typography and visual identity, applied cleanly so the platform feels like your own.
Version upgrades
I bring your installation up to the latest release, keeping your customisations and reducing accumulated technical debt.
Security
Up-to-date dependencies, server hardening, monitoring and error tracking to spot problems before your citizens do.
Census integration
I connect the platform to your municipal census so residents can verify their identity and take part with full guarantees.
Support and coordination
Estimates, bug fixing and direct support for your participation team, coordinated with the support teams of the original applications.
Proven experience
Years working with public institutions
I'm used to working hand in hand with the participation teams of the institutions I've worked with: Madrid City Council, Valencia City Council, Sant Cugat del Vallès, the Cabildo de Tenerife and other national and international institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank.
In every project I cover the whole cycle: analysis, engineering, development, estimates, bug fixing and support for the institution's team. One single point of contact who understands both the technical side and the needs of participation.
I was an official Consul Democracy maintainer: we defined the roadmap, reviewed external contributions and supported governments in different countries, and I spoke at ConsulCon 2018. Today I help institutions roll out these platforms and run them in production, such as València Participa (Consul Democracy) and Decidim Sant Cugat (Decidim), using AI to speed up development without losing rigour.
Current projects
See the work for yourself
Decidim Sant Cugat
Citizen participation platform for Sant Cugat del Vallès, built on Decidim. Analysis, development, estimates, bug fixing and support.
València Participa
Citizen participation platform for Valencia City Council, built on Consul Democracy. Analysis, development, estimates, bug fixing and support.
My code on GitHub
All my public contributions to the application and its Ansible installer are open for anyone to review.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Upgrading an installation with customisations is one of the most common jobs: I review what has been changed, adapt it to the new version and reduce technical debt along the way.
Yes. Both are open-source Ruby on Rails applications, the technology I have specialised in for 12 years.
Yes. I'm used to coordinating with participation teams and with the support teams of the original applications, and I always try to keep your installation as close as possible to the official version.
AI speeds up the repetitive parts. Every change is still reviewed by me, backed by tests and delivered in small steps, which is essential for platforms used by the public.
Contact
Shall we talk about your platform?
Tell me which platform you use and what you need, and I'll reply with a first proposal.
Email: senenrodero@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/senenrodero