Senior government relations (GR) professionals understand that the right software can transform legislative advocacy. But with many platforms on the market, how do you find the best fit for a public institution or state government team?
This guide covers:
- Key evaluation criteria to prioritize
- A comparison of Quorum, FiscalNote, and Bloomberg Government (BGov)
- Common pitfalls to avoid
- Real-world examples from high-performing GR teams
By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to confidently select a lobbying and GR software solution that aligns with your needs.
Top Evaluation Criteria for Lobbying & Government Relations Software
When evaluating GR software, focus on features that improve your team’s efficiency and outcomes. Here are the five core capabilities to prioritize:
1. Legislative & Regulatory Tracking
This is the foundation of any lobbying tool. Your team needs real-time access to legislation and regulations across jurisdictions. Look for platforms that:
- Cover all 50 states and Congress (plus local/international, if needed)
- Send real-time alerts on new bills, committee actions, or rules
- Offer advanced filtering by issue, jurisdiction, and bill status
- Include related media and social content (e.g., tweets from policymakers)
Modern tools consolidate bills, hearings, and social conversations into a single interface. This is crucial when thousands of state bills drop each year. The goal is never to miss a policy change that affects your organization.
2. Reporting Capabilities & Dashboards
Your leadership wants results. Look for software that:
- Offers customizable dashboards and easy-to-generate reports
- Tracks engagement, outreach, and campaign outcomes
- Allows quick access to charts and summaries for board briefings
For instance, S&P Global’s GR team uses Quorum to log activity and share ROI insights with executives. Good reporting tools make it easier to prove your team’s strategic value.
3. CRM & Stakeholder Management
Relationships drive advocacy. Your software should serve as a purpose-built CRM for government affairs. Look for:
- A centralized, searchable database of contacts
- Meeting and communication logging
- Tagging by issue, role, or geography
- Shared notes and task coordination tools
Critical capabilities for managing multiple stakeholders across agencies and coalitions.
4. Scalability and Multi-Jurisdiction Coverage
Choose a platform that can grow with you. Ask:
- Does it support federal, state, local, and international data?
- Can it scale technically with users, records, and modules?
- Do enterprise clients use it successfully?
If you anticipate growth, scalability is non-negotiable.
Comparing Top GR Software Vendors
Here’s how the top platforms stack up:
Quorum
Strengths:
- Truly all-in-one: Combines legislative tracking, regulatory monitoring, grassroots advocacy, PAC management, and stakeholder CRM into one seamless platform.
- AI-enhanced insights: Uses AI to power advanced bill discovery, stakeholder engagement recommendations, and automated meeting summaries. Helps your team move faster with less manual effort.
- Robust Dataset: Quorum’s KnowWho provides accurate, human-verified contact information for legislators and staff, so you always reach the right person without the guesswork.
- Unmatched coverage: Tracks Congress, all 50 states, major U.S. cities, and the European Union in real time. Ideal for organizations with multi-jurisdictional needs.
- Advocacy powerhouse: Built-in tools like Quorum Grassroots enable scalable, targeted grassroots campaigns across email, SMS, and social media.
- Collaboration-first design: Enables shared contact logs, team notes, and coordinated outreach, so everyone, from internal staff to external lobbyists, works in sync.
- Executive-ready reporting: Dashboard views make it easy to visualize progress on key issues, track ROI, and share results with leadership or boards.
- Built for scale: Used by Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and public-sector agencies alike.
Considerations:
- Learning curve: Wide-ranging features require onboarding time, but Quorum offers robust training resources, including webinars and videos.
- CRM integration: Can sync with Salesforce and other tools, but users have occasionally flagged data alignment issues.
- A lot to choose from: Requires a custom quote. However, its value grows significantly for teams using multiple modules.
Best for: Public institutions and public affairs teams seeking a powerful, integrated platform that streamlines GR workflows, adds AI efficiencies, and supports full-funnel advocacy.
FiscalNote
Strengths:
- Policy analytics and forecasting
- Strong global tracking via acquisitions such as CQ and Oxford Analytica
- Advocacy campaigns through VoterVoice
- Deep content aggregation across media and regulatory sources
Considerations:
- The interface can feel fragmented due to the use of acquired tools.
- Mixed reviews on customer support and pricing transparency
- CRM depth
Best for: Data-driven teams with global policy needs and a focus on news.
Bloomberg Government (BGov)
Strengths:
- Real-time news coverage
- Federal RFP monitoring
- Expanding state-level tracking and grassroots tools
Considerations:
- Social media tracking is limited
- No local data
- Slow to receive committee hearing transcripts (24-72 hours after)
- Meeting notes aren’t searchable
- Reporting functionality limited
Best for: Teams focused on federal activity and high-level intel, particularly in Washington.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid these traps when choosing GR software:
- Underestimating onboarding: Comprehensive platforms require structured rollouts. Prioritize training and identify power users to drive adoption.
- Using general-purpose tools: Generic CRMs or project tools don’t support compliance workflows, policy tracking, or stakeholder engagement by default.
- Focusing too much on design: A sleek interface won’t matter if the data is shallow or alerts are delayed. Choose function over form.
- Skipping integration planning: Make sure your software can connect to existing tools like Outlook or your CRM. Don’t forget about data migration either.
- Lacking buy-in or goals: Bring your team into the selection process early. Set clear priorities for how you’ll use the tool during implementation.
Strategic Questions to Ask Vendors
These questions will help you make a smart decision:
- Integration: How does this platform integrate with our tools, such as Salesforce or Outlook? Does it need to integrate with other tools, or are we looking for a standalone option?
- Onboarding & Support: What kind of training and support do you provide, and is it ongoing?
- Data Accuracy: How often is legislative data updated, and who ensures its accuracy?
- Customization: Can we tailor workflows, alerts, or reports to our unique needs?
- Compliance Tools: Does the software support our state and federal disclosure requirements?
- Client Use Cases: Can you share examples of similar organizations that have used this platform successfully?
- Total Cost: What’s included in your quote? Are there any data limits or user restrictions?
How High-Performing Teams Use GR Software
Coordinating Multi-State Campaigns
The Sierra Club uses Quorum to monitor legislation in all 50 states through a single dashboard. This allows for centralized tracking and coordinated response across state chapters.
Reporting to Executives
S&P Global logs meetings and policy wins using Quorum. Dashboards help them show impact and ROI to executives and boards with just a few clicks.
Syncing Stakeholders
Government affairs teams use Quorum, BGov, or FiscalNote to ensure internal staff and external consultants work from the same source of truth. Shared alerts, logs, and tasks streamline coordination.
Conclusion
In today’s complex policy environment, GR software is a force multiplier. With tracking, strong analytics, compliance support, stakeholder tools, and room to grow, the right platform empowers your team to lead.
Top takeaway: Choose software that fits your workflows, not just your wishlist.
Avoid common pitfalls, ask the right questions, and learn from how top teams use these tools. With a thoughtful evaluation, you’ll not only choose wisely but also set your government affairs team up for long-term success.
When the next major policy challenge arises, you’ll be ready with the tools and data to act swiftly and strategically. Run your government affairs like the strategic function it is, supported by technology built for the task. The result is smarter advocacy, more precise results, and undeniable proof of your team’s impact.