The consulting world has been waiting to see what President Obama’s campaign does with its data and technology from the 2012 race. On Friday, there was the first indication of how it plans to shift its resources into partisan technology firms.
Organizing for Action, the latest incarnation of OFA, will start logging all of its outreach efforts using the Voter Activation Network software and database. It’s the first sign of a shift of OFA’s resources — specifically its software choices — to VAN, which means that innovation at OFA could be portable to the Democratic campaign world via VAN integration.
The partnership is a coup for NGP VAN, which was contracted by the Obama campaign in 2012, and could give it an edge in its competition with non-partisan data firms.
“We’ll work hard to continue to innovate and provide progressives with a technology edge,” Stu Trevelyan, NGP VAN’s CEO, said in a statement.
Jon Carson, OFA’s executive director, offered a glowing endorsement of the firm’s services.
“We selected the VAN because it’s the best organizing tool available,” Carson said in a statement. “Many of us have worked with NGP VAN in the past, and know their innovative software and excellent support team help us organize effectively.”