Last Updated on 8. October 2026
Government services rarely fail because of the idea. They fail in the execution. Information moves back and forth between paper, email and specialized administrative systems, applications are complex, processes take weeks, and the systems involved are often only loosely connected. Yet the goal is clear: fully digital and sovereign at the same time. Getting there takes technology that can support large-scale administrative systems without locking agencies into a single vendor.
Separating business logic from technology
In traditional development, business logic and project code are intertwined, and domain experts and developers end up talking past each other. The A12 AI Low Code Platform relies on model-driven software engineering: the business logic lives in models, the technology in the platform. Both sides work together on the same foundation. Model types include data and document models, user interfaces, rules and calculations, print models and workflow models.
This structure also makes A12 well suited for the responsible use of AI. AI can assist with modeling and coding, but the result remains traceable because it lives in reviewable models rather than opaque code. The choice of language model remains open.
Sovereignty means source code, standards and licensing
A12 has been open source since May 2026 and is available via openCode and GitHub. The platform has been running successfully for years in highly sensitive environments such as ELSTER, Germany’s electronic tax filing system. But openness doesn’t stop at your own code. It has to extend across the entire technology stack, all the way down to the process layer. That’s why A12 relies on open modeling standards and open source components that are continuously evaluated and replaced when needed.
The switch from Camunda 7 to CIB seven
The workflow component shows how seriously this commitment is meant. For a long time, A12 Workflows ran on the Camunda 7 Community Edition. Its development as free software has ended, and its successor, Camunda 8, requires a commercial license for production use and is designed for cloud operation. Organizations that run their processes on their own infrastructure are therefore facing a licensing question. Sovereignty is decided by the license, not by declarations of intent.
mgm therefore chose CIB seven, the continuation of Camunda 7 maintained by CIB software GmbH under the Apache 2.0 license. The switch was a drop-in replacement, and existing code continues to run unchanged. Since release 2025.06, A12 Workflows has shipped with CIB seven. CIB is responsible for the long-term development of the engine, while mgm contributes to the community.
CIB seven remains an independent product. The same engine runs embedded in an A12 application and just as well in an organization’s own data center. The result isn’t dependency but a clear division of labor: A12 defines what applies, and CIB seven executes what happens.
From application to official decision, fully digital
A single application shows how the pieces fit together. When the application is submitted, A12 checks required fields and formats up front. Kernel Language rules, such as calculations, aggregations and date logic, run directly in the document model. The process itself is stored as a BPMN model, and decisions such as approval or rejection as DMN rules. At the end, the Print Engine generates the official decision as a PDF and triggers the notification. The more steps run without user interaction, the closer the agency gets to straight-through processing.
Because processes are defined in BPMN 2.0 and DMN, they can be read and reviewed even without access to the product. The investment lives in the model, not in the license. And the model endures, even when the technology, platform or vendor changes.
The two approaches also complement each other when it comes to AI. A12 uses AI at the model level to develop processes and applications. In running processes, language models can use the engine to pre-sort incoming applications and take work off caseworkers’ plates.
Reuse instead of rebuild
For public agencies, this means that implementing an administrative procedure with A12 and CIB seven produces more than a single piece of software. It creates a body of models that can be reviewed, shared and further developed. Because the platform and engine remain independent, each building block can be replaced without rewriting the business logic.
Sovereignty is decided by reusability: open source code, open standards, open licenses, and a software company that takes responsibility.
Further information:
- Website: A12 AI Low Code Platform
- Website: CIB seven
