Software Development
Agile and DevSecOps development, legacy modernization, web portals, low-code platforms, and application support.
Learn moreSpecialist technology and software for state and local government
HQT designs, builds, secures, and runs software and IT systems for state agencies, counties, cities, and public authorities. We also work with corporations that want the same rigor, and we support federal work through teaming partners.
Capabilities
What we do
Six capability areas, each backed by practitioners who do the work themselves.
Cloud & Enterprise IT
Cloud architecture, migration, and operations, plus the networks, identity, and end-user services that agencies run every day.
Learn moreCybersecurity
Assessments, security engineering, compliance support, and monitoring for agencies that hold sensitive public data.
Learn moreData & Analytics
Data platforms, reporting, GIS, open data, and machine learning aligned to public-sector AI guidance.
Learn morePublic Safety & Mission Software
Software and integration for dispatch, records, emergency management, and the systems that support first responders.
Learn moreTechnology Advisory & Systems Engineering
Independent technical advice, requirements, architecture, procurement support, and oversight for agency technology programs.
Learn more
About HQT
Built by practitioners
HQT was founded by technology and software professionals to bring rigorous engineering to state and local government. Our people have designed, built, secured, and operated the kinds of systems agencies depend on: resident-facing applications, cloud platforms, security programs, data platforms, and public safety integrations.
We work directly with agencies and alongside established contractors, and we scope every engagement so that it is delivered completely, documented, and maintainable by the agency's own staff.
About HQTSectors
Who we serve
Our focus is state and local government and the public agencies that support communities, alongside corporations that need public-sector-grade engineering.
State Agencies
Departments and boards with large caseloads, legacy systems, and statewide procurement rules.
County Governments
Health and human services, public safety, courts, elections, and property systems at county scale.
Cities & Towns
Resident services, permitting, utilities, public works, and police and fire in municipalities of every size.
Public Safety & Emergency Services
Police, fire, emergency medical services, 911 centers, and emergency management agencies.
Transit & Transportation
Transit agencies, transportation departments, ports, and airports with operational technology and public-facing systems.
Water, Power & Public Utilities
Publicly owned water, wastewater, electric, and gas utilities with control systems, billing, and asset management.
Roles
Who we work with
Written for the person who has to make the decision, in the terms the job presents it.
Principles
How we work
01
Technical depth
Our people are practitioners. We take on work we can perform ourselves to a high standard.
02
Candor
We are direct about what we have done, what we have not, and what we can commit to.
03
Disciplined delivery
Defined processes, realistic schedules, and clear reporting from the first engagement.
04
Security by default
Every environment and application we deliver ships with logging, access control, and documented responsibilities.
Resources
Browse by topic
Every guide, article, service, and post on a subject, gathered in one place.
Working with HQT
Where to start
Procurement offices
Company information, commodity and NAICS codes, ways to purchase, and points of contact for purchasing and contracting staff.
Prime contractors
HQT is available as a subcontractor or teaming partner for technical work packages on existing and proposed programs.
Solutions by agency type
How each capability applies to cities, counties, public safety, utilities, districts, and state agencies.
Resources
Articles
Reference articles for agency and technology leaders on procurement, technology, sectors, and compliance.
Purchasing routes for technology services: a summary for agency staff
The purchasing routes available to public agencies for technology work, and when each fits.
The California Multiple Award Schedule: how agencies use it
What CMAS is, which agencies can use it, and how a purchase through it works.
Cooperative purchasing: using contracts other agencies have already competed
How agencies buy through cooperative and piggyback contracts, and what to check before doing so.
Blog
From the team
Notes from the HQT team on the technology we build for public agencies and corporate clients.
Observability: knowing your application is broken before residents tell you
Logs, metrics, and traces are not a luxury for public-facing systems. They are how you keep a promise.
Retrieval quality, not the model, decides whether an AI assistant is useful
Chunking, metadata, permission filtering, and evaluation decide whether an agency assistant is useful, and the model is the replaceable part.
Small open models are good enough for many agency tasks
The largest model is not always the right one. For classification, extraction, and grounded answering, smaller models running in the agency's own environment often do the job.