Open Point buys Converlens to boost public sector engagement

Open Point has acquired Converlens, bringing together two Australian software companies focused on public sector engagement.

The acquisition adds Converlens' data analysis tools to Open Point's existing community engagement and stakeholder relationship management products. Together, they will offer customers a single system to collect, manage and analyse consultation and stakeholder information across projects.

The two companies had already been working together through an existing platform integration. That arrangement allowed shared customers to connect engagement data with Converlens' analytics tools, and the acquisition formalises the relationship under one owner.

The move comes as councils, infrastructure groups and planning bodies face greater scrutiny over how they consult communities and record decisions. These organisations are also handling larger volumes of submissions, survey responses, transcripts and other qualitative feedback, much of it still reviewed manually.

Converlens' software is used to analyse consultation responses, submissions, transcripts and stakeholder communications. The platform was designed for public sector settings, with an emphasis on transparency, data security and ease of use for engagement practitioners.

Both companies also bring established customer bases across Australia and New Zealand. Converlens is used by the Australian Government, the Australian Space Agency and The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Open Point's customers include Sydney Civil, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, Wellington City Council and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

Public sector focus

The acquisition highlights the importance of engagement software in government and regulated sectors, where consultation records can shape planning approvals, infrastructure delivery and public accountability. For many agencies and project teams, the challenge has shifted from simply gathering views to showing how those views were considered.

Ben Cowling, chief executive officer of Open Point, said that was the issue the company was trying to address.

"Organisations are investing significant time and effort into engagement, but collecting feedback is only one part of the challenge. The real value comes from understanding what communities and stakeholders are telling you and using those insights to make better decisions.

"By bringing Converlens into the Open Point product suite, we're helping customers move seamlessly from input to insight to impact. Together, we're creating a system of actionable insights that connects community feedback, stakeholder relationships and engagement activity with better decision-making, stronger accountability and improved project outcomes."

Software suppliers serving the public sector have increasingly focused on tools that can sort and interpret large text-based datasets from consultation exercises. These include planning submissions, meeting notes, survey comments and correspondence, which can be difficult to compare at scale when handled in spreadsheets or static reports.

The acquisition strengthens Open Point's position in government, infrastructure, utilities and planning. The company has built its business around digital tools that support consultation programmes and stakeholder management, areas that have become more formalised as project sponsors face demands for better documentation and clearer reporting.

Analysis challenge

Converlens has focused on the bottleneck that often follows consultation exercises: analysing large volumes of community input. By joining Open Point, its tools will sit closer to where that feedback is first collected and managed.

Clint Walker, a founder of Converlens, said pressure on consultation teams had been rising.

"Engagement teams are under growing pressure to deliver meaningful consultation, demonstrate transparency and process increasing volumes of feedback, often with limited resources. Too much valuable insight is still trapped in spreadsheets, reports and manual processes.

"What attracted us to Open Point is a shared belief that technology should help practitioners focus on outcomes rather than administration. Together, we can help organisations make better use of engagement data and ensure community voices have a clearer path into decision-making."

The combination reflects a wider shift in the software market for consultation and stakeholder engagement, with buyers increasingly seeking connected systems rather than separate tools for outreach, relationship tracking and analysis. In sectors such as transport, urban development and local government, that integration can affect how quickly organisations respond to submissions and how clearly they explain the reasoning behind final decisions.

Open Point said the enlarged business would give customers an end-to-end route from consultation to insight, supported by a combined presence across major businesses and councils in Australia and New Zealand.