In July 2026, the Netherlands’ Interdepartmental Commission on Government Operations (ICBR) commissioned DICTU, SSC-ICT and DUO-ICT to develop a standardized, more sovereign digital workplace for central government. Their work includes file collaboration across departments, a sovereign email alternative and further workplace services.
The providers describe the work as building on initiatives including DAWO and MijnBureau. DAWO is a modular digital-workplace project for the Dutch government, with NixOS among its named components. A separate municipal exploration, announced earlier in 2026, paired a Linux workplace with MijnBureau.
The Netherlands commissions a more sovereign government workplace
The July commission focuses on developing workplace services and alternatives that can reduce dependence on a limited number of large technology suppliers. Its listed workstreams include sharing files across departments and developing a sovereign email alternative.
DICTU, SSC-ICT and DUO-ICT are the three government IT providers assigned to the development work. The commission concerns a central-government workplace; the municipal Linux exploration is a separate initiative.
What DAWO and its NixOS component are
DAWO, short for Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid, is a community-built, modular digital-workplace project. Its project site identifies DAWO-NixOS and installation building blocks for a reproducible workplace, alongside components for cloud, collaboration and AI.
That modular structure places NixOS within a broader set of workplace components. The project’s listed elements are building blocks, including software and services, rather than a single finished workplace product.
The separate municipal Linux exploration
On April 2, 2026, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) announced a practical exploration involving ’s-Hertogenbosch, Zaanstad, Ede and Amsterdam. The municipalities could test a Linux-based workplace with MijnBureau, an open collaboration environment whose components include Nextcloud. VNG said the exploration was planned to run through the end of 2026.
