ICT, public sector and consultancies

Three Sub-ICPs · Shared Characteristics · Different Nuances

These three sub-ICPs share critical characteristics: transformation is mandatory (not optional), budgets are real (not exploratory), and the execution gap is painfully visible. They differ in procurement dynamics, stakeholder complexity, and what “success” looks like.

ICT & TECHNOLOGY

Tech companies, digital innovators, data infrastructure providers, and AI firms that need to clarify their value proposition, accelerate adoption, and build brands that signal credibility.

Buyer Personas

• SaaS and platform companies scaling beyond early adopters
• IoT and deep-tech firms translating complex capability into market narrative
• Telecom operators transforming brand for digital-first positioning
• Data center operators and cloud infrastructure providers
• AI companies building full-stack capabilities and go-to-market presence
• Cybersecurity firms establishing authority and trust in a high-stakes market
• IT services firms and software development companies scaling regionally

Target entities: STC, Mobily, Zain KSA, Center3 (stc subsidiary), HUMAIN (PIF), SCAI (Saudi Consulting and AI), IoT Squared, Elm, SITE (Saudi Information Technology), Mozn

Pain Points

• Product-market fit messaging: Technology capability doesn’t translate into buyer value. The product is smart, but the story is confusing.
• User adoption gap: Product works, but marketing doesn’t drive growth. Early adopters love it, mainstream users don’t know it exists.
• Brand credibility deficit: In a skeptical tech community, the brand doesn’t signal trust, authority, or maturity.
• Education gap: Most clients for the ICT ICP don’t fully understand what digital transformation or AI means for their business. ORIGIN helps ICT companies educate their own clients — building demand through clarity, not jargon.
• Capital attraction: Investor-facing materials and brand presence don’t match the ambition or quality of the technology.
• Talent competition: Can’t attract top engineers and product people because the employer brand is invisible.

Deal Patterns

• Entry often through brand strategy or website redesign
• Engagement model typically Build (specific deliverable) or Build & Operate (ongoing growth function)
• Tech clients move fast — shorter decision cycles, lower tolerance for bureaucracy
• Upsell path: brand → website → lead gen → full growth engine

TOUCHPOINT
For ICT case study context, see Act 02 — Section 02: Case Studies.

PUBLIC SECTOR (GOVERNMENT & SEMI-GOVERNMENT)

Government entities, sovereign wealth fund subsidiaries, and semi-government organizations executing national mandates — particularly under Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia and national vision programs in the UAE.

Buyer Personas

• Ministries and government agencies

Target entities: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), Ministry of Culture (MoC), Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), Ministry of Investment (MISA), General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), National Center for Privatization (NCP), General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Ministry of Economy UAE, Abu Dhabi Digital Authority, Dubai Digital Authority

• PIF subsidiaries and giga-project entities

Target entities: Public Investment Fund (PIF), NEOM, Qiddiya Investment Company, Red Sea Global, Diriyah Gate Development Authority, ROSHN, New Murabba Development Company, King Salman Park, Riyadh Spaces, Mubadala (UAE)

• National development and regulatory authorities

Target entities: National Housing Company (NHC), Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), Dubai Municipality, Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities, Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Royal Commission for AlUla, MODON, Arriyadh Development Authority

Pain Points

• National mandate communication: Ambitious national vision goals (Vision 2030, UAE Centennial 2071, Dubai Economic Agenda D33) need to be translated into clear brand and communications plans that reach citizens, investors, and partners.
• Public trust deficit: Government communication often feels bureaucratic, not engaging. Citizens disengage. Stakeholders lose confidence.
• Fragmented brand expression: Multiple initiatives, regions, and partners create inconsistent communication across the ecosystem.
• Governance complexity: Decision-making involves multiple stakeholders, committees, and approval layers. Execution partners must navigate this without creating bottlenecks.
• Measurement challenge: Success isn’t just revenue — it’s sentiment, engagement, public trust, and initiative awareness.

Procurement Nuances

• Longer sales cycles (3–6 months from first contact to signed contract)
• RFP-driven procurement — proposals must be structured, compliant, and competitively priced
• Relationship-driven at executive level — trust is built before RFPs are issued
• Budget cycles are annual — timing matters for when to engage
• Often enter through a consultancy partnership (Accenture, BCG, PwC as prime contractor, ORIGIN as SubCo)

Deal Patterns

• Most common entry: SubCo through a consultancy, or direct through executive relationship
• Engagement model typically Build & Guard (ORIGIN builds strategy, governs agency/team execution)
• Governance-heavy — 3-level framework is not optional, it’s expected
• Long-term relationships (12–36 months typical)

TOUCHPOINT
For public sector case study examples, see Act 02 — Section 02: Case Studies (NHC).

CONSULTANCIES (THE “COMPLETE, NOT COMPETE” MODEL)

This is not a traditional ICP. Consultancies are not clients we transform — they’re partners we complete. They deliver strategy. We execute it. The relationship is symbiotic, not competitive.

How It Works

Tier-1 global consultancies and local consulting firms deliver strategic roadmaps, transformation blueprints, and organizational diagnostics. They exit after delivery. The client is left holding a roadmap with no execution partner who understands the strategic rationale.

ORIGIN fills that gap. We translate consultant strategy into execution-ready briefs, build the brand and digital infrastructure, govern quality, and ensure ROI. The consultant’s strategy actually gets implemented.

Global Consultancy Partnerships

• Accenture: Preferred SubCo since 2019. Projects include MCIT Qatar (QDG platform rebranding), CBUAE, Saudi Airlines. ORIGIN handles brand, creative, and digital execution within Accenture’s transformation programs.
• BCG: Partnership since 2023. Jeel Tamouh program (flagship youth development initiative in KSA) and BCG ME regional brand management. ORIGIN manages positioning, content, and digital presence.
• PwC: PwC Academy and selective engagements where ORIGIN provides brand and digital execution for PwC’s advisory clients.

Local Consultancy Partnerships

The “complete not compete” model extends beyond global firms. Local and regional consultancies in KSA and UAE face the same execution gap:

• Strategic Gears (past partner): Saudi-based strategy consultancy. Delivers transformation roadmaps for Saudi entities. Needs execution partner for brand, digital, and marketing activation.
• RASI (past partner): Saudi consultancy focused on organizational development and transformation. Strategy delivery without brand or tech execution capability.
• TAM (past partner): Regional consultancy operating across GCC. Same pattern — strong strategy, no execution arm.
• In progress, not yet live: Strategy&, plus one further global firm that is not named in writing.

The pitch to any consultancy is identical: “We don’t compete with what you do. We execute what you deliver. Your strategy gets implemented. Your client sees ROI. You look good.”

What We Execute That They Can’t

• Brand strategy translation into visual identity, messaging frameworks, and brand guidelines
• Digital platform development (websites, apps, portals) that express brand positioning
• CRM and MarTech infrastructure (Pipedrive, HubSpot, Salesforce implementation)
• Lead generation, ABM campaigns, and marketing automation
• Content production (photography, videography, editorial), which sits outside standard scope and is sellable only when separately quoted and partner delivered
• Ongoing governance of execution quality (Build & Guard model)

SubCo Dynamics

• ORIGIN operates as subcontractor under the consultancy’s prime contract
• Client relationship is managed by the consultancy at executive level
• ORIGIN interfaces at Project Control and Project Delivery levels
• ORIGIN’s brand stays invisible to the end client
• Revenue is typically project-based with potential for multi-phase extensions

SECONDARY ICPs

These verticals represent real opportunity but are not ORIGIN’s primary focus. Enough context to recognize the pattern and qualify the lead.

Financial Institutions

• Banks, investment firms, asset managers, insurance companies
• Pain: institutional trust, complex value communication, investor-facing brand, regulatory compliance in communications
• Entry: typically corporate rebrand or digital transformation
• Model: Build or Build & Guard

Target entities: Saudi National Bank (SNB), Al Rajhi Bank, Riyad Bank, Alinma Bank, GIB, SABB, Derayah Financial, Jadwa Investment, Sanabil Investments (PIF), First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)

Oil & Gas

• National oil companies, energy services, downstream operators
• Pain: legacy brand perception, ESG communication, talent attraction, digital transformation of corporate presence
• Entry: corporate rebrand, sustainability narrative, investor relations
• Model: Build or Build & Guard

Education

• Universities, training academies, EdTech platforms
• Pain: enrollment marketing, brand differentiation, digital student experience, thought leadership positioning
• Entry: brand strategy or student recruitment campaigns
• Model: Build or Build & Operate

Recycling

• Waste management operators, recycling plants, and circular economy ventures

FMCG

• Consumer goods manufacturers, distributors, and retail brands

PATTERN RECOGNITION
Across all secondary ICPs, the qualifying signal is the same: the organization is undergoing transformation (not maintenance), budgets are committed (not exploratory), and the execution gap is visible (strategy exists but isn’t being executed). If these three conditions aren’t present, it’s not an ORIGIN deal.

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How ORIGIN Solutions Map to Client Needs