A certification-based look at the agencies best positioned to build and maintain Drupal websites for U.S. government agencies.
Drupal quietly runs a large share of the U.S. federal web. Agencies choose it for the same reasons the private sector does—it is open source, endlessly extensible, and built for the kind of structured, high-volume, accessibility-driven publishing that government requires. From NASA to the Smithsonian to dozens of departmental sites, Drupal has become a default choice for public-sector digital experiences.
The harder question for a contracting officer or program lead is not whether to use Drupal, but which agency to trust with the build. Portfolios and past performance matter, but they are difficult to compare apples-to-apples. One objective, vendor-neutral signal is depth of Acquia certification, the formal credentialing program run by Acquia, the commercial company founded by Drupal’s creator.
How this ranking was built
The list below draws on the Digital Center of Excellence (DCoE) directory of Drupal agencies, filtered to firms that identify as federal contractors. DCoE tracks 334 agencies overall and ranks them by verified Acquia certifications. The figures here reflect the directory as last updated on October 7, 2025.
Acquia’s program certifies individuals across site building, front-end, and back-end tracks. A developer who earns all three automatically becomes an Acquia Triple Certified Drupal Expert—the program’s highest individual designation. In the table, “expert certifications” and “certified experts” capture that top tier, while “Drupal certifications” and “certified professionals” count the broader credential base across a firm’s staff. Sorting by expert certifications surfaces the agencies with the deepest concentration of senior Drupal talent.
Federal Drupal contractors, ranked by Acquia expert certifications
| Rank | Agency | Expert certs | Certified experts | Drupal certs | Certified pros |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acquia | 19 | 12 | 161 | 22 |
| 2 | Agileana | 13 | 5 | 79 | 9 |
| 3 | Kalamuna | 4 | 2 | 22 | 2 |
| 4 | Axelerant | 3 | 3 | 41 | 19 |
| 5 | Red Hat | 3 | 2 | 19 | 4 |
| 6 | Vardot | 2 | 2 | 17 | 5 |
| 7 | Mobomo | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 |
| 8 | Velir | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 |
| 9 | Urban Insight | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 10 | Clarity Partners | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 11 | Forum One | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| 12 | Tag1 Consulting | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
Source: DCoE Directory of Drupal Agencies (federal contractor filter), as of October 7, 2025.
What the leaders bring
Acquia tops the list, but it is worth reading with an asterisk: Acquia is the platform company behind Drupal and its certification program, not a traditional systems integrator competing for task orders. Its position reflects the concentration of certified staff inside the vendor itself rather than a like-for-like agency comparison.
Agileana ranks second and is the most certified independent federal Drupal agency in the directory, with 13 expert certifications and 79 Drupal certifications overall. The DC-based, veteran-owned firm focuses specifically on government, and its public federal client history includes the National Archives (NARA), the FCC, and the Smithsonian.
Kalamuna, Axelerant, and Vardot round out the mid-tier by expert certifications, with Axelerant notably carrying the largest broad credential base (41 Drupal certifications, 19 certified professionals) of any firm outside the top two—useful when a project needs bench depth rather than a handful of specialists.
Mobomo and Forum One appear lower on raw expert-certification counts but are among the most recognizable names in federal Drupal delivery. Mobomo architected and migrated NASA.gov and a 30-plus-site multisite platform across seven NASA centers, and holds CMMI Dev Level 3 and ISO 9001:2015 credentials. Forum One has launched 200-plus Drupal sites since 2008 for clients including the EPA and USAID and holds a GSA Multiple Award Schedule. Both illustrate why certification depth should be read alongside—not instead of—past performance.
Reading beyond the certification count
Certifications are a strong proxy for talent density, but a full evaluation of a federal Drupal partner should triangulate several sources. Federal award data on USAspending.gov and the contract and FPDS datasets at SAM.gov show the actual dollars, agencies, and vehicles a firm has won, the clearest evidence of real government past performance and contracting readiness.
Community involvement is another tell. Sponsorship of Drupal GovCon (produced by Drupal4Gov) signals sustained investment in the federal Drupal ecosystem. Several agencies on the ranking above, including Agileana, Mobomo, and Evolving Web, appear among the event’s sponsors, alongside government-focused firms such as CTAC, Bixal, Insignia Federal, IT-CNP, and Riva Solutions.
How to use this list
Treat Acquia certification depth as a shortlist filter, not a final verdict. Start with the certified leaders, then layer in the factors a certification count cannot capture: relevant agency experience, Section 508 and accessibility track record, security posture and authorizations, the right contract vehicles, and small-business or set-aside status where it applies. The agencies at the top of the DCoE federal ranking have demonstrably invested in senior Drupal talent, which makes them a sound place to begin a federal procurement search.
Sources
- DCoE Directory of Drupal Agencies (federal contractor filter): dcoe.org/directory-drupal-vendors
- Drupal GovCon 2026 sponsors: drupalgovcon.org/sponsors
- Federal award data: USAspending.gov; SAM.gov contract data and FPDS
- Acquia Certification Program
