Case Study: Social Development Platform Super-app transforms HRSD’s digital initiatives

Client: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), Saudi Arabia
Project: Social Development Platform (SDP)
Industry: Government – Social Development

Overview

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) partnered with Sumerge to drive a major transformation of the Kingdom’s social development services through the creation of the Social Development Platform (SDP). The goal was to move away from outdated legacy systems toward a centralized, scalable digital solution that could unify the sector and enable future growth.

Previously, HRSD had launched a platform known as Namaa, which focused primarily on cooperative societies and research centers. While functional at the time, Namaa was not designed to support the broader ambitions of the Ministry, nor was it equipped to handle the scale or complexity required today. SDP was envisioned as a foundational shift — a new digital infrastructure that could streamline operations, enable data-driven decision-making, and serve employees, businesses, service providers, individuals and citizens more effectively

The Challenge

The existing platforms and services were siloed, inconsistent, and unable to keep up with the increasing demand for integration, real-time monitoring, and extensibility, furthermore, the data was scattered and Namaa didn’t allow for the modernizations requirements to be met, from there came the belief of creating the SDP super app. HRSD needed a modern solution that could consolidate these services into a single, unified platform, built on a microservices-based architecture that supports rapid development, vendor collaboration, and long-term sustainability.

At the heart of the challenge was the need to digitally serve all stakeholders in the social development sector, from internal government teams to external charitable and cooperative societies — all without interrupting the essential services already in use.

Our Approach

To address these needs, Sumerge launched the project with a discovery phase, engaging with key stakeholders to understand their pain points, priorities, and expectations. We worked closely with both the charitable societies and the cooperative societies to map out current operations, identify gaps, and define a path forward.

Once stakeholder alignment was achieved, we conducted deep-dive analyses into each organization’s services, breaking down interdependencies and building a comprehensive backlog of functional and technical requirements. With this foundation, we began shaping the SDP’s architecture — both visually, through initial UI and portal design, and technically, by defining logical service groupings and workflows.

Implementation followed an incremental (phased) approach, beginning with high-priority services. Among the first completed modules were sub-organizations within the cooperative societies, several of which have already undergone successful modernization. At the same time, the Financial Supervision Department completed its analysis phase and is now providing continuous support through tracking, operational guidance, and issue resolution for other components of the platform.

To ensure uninterrupted delivery of services, the original Namaa platform remains operational during this transition. The current SDP implementation is being refactored to serve not only today’s needs but to also

Technology Stack

The Social Development Platform is built using a future-ready tech stack designed for scalability and resilience:

• Micro-frontends: Modular UI components built using Angular, tailored to each domain
• Microservices: Java Spring Boot services structured around domain-driven design
• Business Process Management (BPM): For flexible and dynamic service orchestration
• Kafka Event Streaming: Ensures asynchronous communication and event sourcing
• Elasticsearch: Enables fast audit trails, log aggregation, and advanced search capabilities

Support was further provided to ensure a seamless transition process as well as deep learning sessions conducted with HRSD employees for future handover and technological literacy. The technologies used in support were the following

• Redis:Distributed caching for quick data access and performance optimization
• Jenkins – CI/CD automation for builds and deployments.
• Kubernetes Dashboard – Monitor and manage Kubernetes clusters.
• Nexus – Store and manage artifacts and dependencies.
• Prometheus – Collect metrics
• Grafana – Visualize metrics and dashboards.
• Kibana – Visualize logs and monitor events.

Results & Impact

The SDP has already begun to reshape how HRSD delivers its social development services through the following points

• Centralized service delivery – Unified platform streamlines operations and reduces fragmentation.
• Seamless user experience – Both internal teams and external stakeholders benefit from a modern, consistent digital interface.
• Real-time visibility – Societies can track initiatives, monitor outcomes, and make faster, data-driven decisions.
• Future-ready scalability – Modular architecture makes it easy to extend the platform with new services and third-party integrations.
• Operational continuity – Essential services remained live throughout the transition, ensuring uninterrupted delivery.
• Data-driven governance – Advanced reporting and analytics empower evidence-based policy and decision-making.
• Ecosystem growth – Already supporting services from third-party businesses, with additional integrations underway.
• Citizen-centric transformation – SDP moves HRSD closer to its Vision 2030 goal of an efficient, connected, digital-first social development sector.

Looking Ahead

The Social Development Platform is a living, evolving system. While many key milestones have been achieved, the project remains ongoing, with new services being rolled out and further integrations in development. With each phase, HRSD moves closer to realizing its vision of a fully connected, efficient, and citizen-centric social development sector.

At Sumerge, we’re proud to be driving this transformation alongside HRSD — and we’re even more excited about the possibilities that lie ahead as SDP continues to grow, adapt, and innovate.