At Dimensional Innovations, we’re passionate about experience design. For me, it’s all about experience centers. Helping brands build environments dedicated to personal connection and possibility are the complex creative challenges I crave. These days, more companies are looking to the government sector as an area of significant opportunity.
If you spend any time talking with organizations that serve the federal space, you'll hear some of the same questions:
"With agencies, contracts and budgets at risk, is now really the time to invest in an experience center?"
"What guarantees do we have that an investment in experience is going to pay off in awarded contracts?"
I'm not here to tell you these questions have easy answers. Or that I know the secret to the perfect oral presentation. But I can tell you there has never been a better time to ensure your organization is invested in creating experiences that build meaningful relationships.
Federal procurement has always been built on trust, but today's environment demands even greater confidence. Agencies are understaffed. Budgets are tighter, or have disappeared entirely. Decisions involve more stakeholders, shorter timeline and greater accountability. Proving that your solution works isn't enough. Winning business in this environment is about ensuring people believe your organization understands the mission they're responsible for delivering—and that you'll be vigilant in delivering it.
That kind of trust isn't built in a PowerPoint presentation. It's built through conversations.
The organizations seeing the greatest success are creating active spaces that bring customers, partners and internal experts together to solve problems side by side. Experience becomes the catalyst for better dialogue, greater understanding and stronger partnerships.
That's exactly what Accenture Federal Services (AFS) set out to accomplish with The Forge®.
Accenture Federal Services - The Forge®, Washington, DC
Rather than creating a space designed to showcase technology, we helped build a living, evolving environment where complex topics like AI, digital engineering, cyber and cloud become tangible through collaboration, co-creation and conversation. The result isn't simply a "cool" alliteration. It's become the center of the federal experience for AFS—an award-winning business platform that has influenced millions of dollars in deal potential, generated hundreds of new client relationships and uncovered new partnership opportunities across both federal and commercial markets.
AFS made the decision to invest in the spring of 2024, before the last presidential election and new administration. They made a bet on themselves and the power of a focused client experience, even with significant uncertainty on the horizon. And it has paid off.
So what are the steps to get started?
We believe it begins with asking three questions.
Are our current relationships a strategic differentiator?
If your team is constantly competing on price and scope alone, you haven't reached the level of “trusted partner.” Price and scope matter, but government buyers are evaluating more than your solution. They're deciding whether you're a team that understands their challenges, are enjoyable to work with and can be trusted to deliver - year after year.
What conversations would become easier if our clients shared the same experience?
The best federal experience centers are purpose-built environments designed to create shared context, build understanding and inspire action.
We're dealing in the realms of increasingly complex technologies. When we create space to help clients become comfortable with those ideas (and the team delivering them), we create the conditions for real co-creation and trust-building. That opens doors to stronger personal connections.
Are we ready to commit to an ongoing program?
This is the easiest question to overlook—and the hardest to recover from if you do. Opening the center is only the beginning. What's the long-term plan for keeping the experience relevant enough that clients want to come back? And as missions and executive orders change, how are you built to have a space and team that can react?
The organizations seeing the highest ROI treat experience centers as ongoing client engagement programs supported by dedicated people, repeatable processes, thoughtful hospitality, robust strategy and continuous refinement.
Accenture Federal Services - The Forge®, Washington, DC
Over the next few years, the organizations that stand out in the federal space will be the ones who have built environments that make it easier for government leaders to understand complexity, ask difficult questions, envision partnership and leave with greater confidence than when they arrived.
The federal space needs innovative partners now more than ever. Be the partner that invests in client experience today, and I am confident you'll be helping deliver the missions of tomorrow.
