Key takeaways
- Starbridge and Civic IQ are public-sector data platforms that also sell outbound teams. Kensington Sales Group is a sales development firm with no software to buy.
- Civic IQ publishes a starting price of $2,000 a month for its SDR Service, which requires its platform. Starbridge and KSG don't publish prices.
- Starbridge and Civic IQ focus on state, local and education buyers. KSG also covers federal, healthcare, tribal, special districts and utilities.
- Choose based on your markets, the data you already own and whether you want one vendor for software and outreach.
The three at a glance
| Kensington Sales Group | Starbridge | Civic IQ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Sales development firm | AI go-to-market platform for government and education | Public-sector sales intelligence platform |
| Outbound service | Embedded SDR teams | Outbound as a Service | SDR Service (Pipeline as a Service) |
| Channels | Phone-led, with email and LinkedIn | Cold calling and email | Phone and email |
| Data | Your tools (any platform), KSG research and call intelligence | Starbridge signals, spend intelligence and account scoring | Civic IQ signals: meetings, budgets, RFIs and contract renewals |
| Markets | Federal, SLED, K-12 & Higher Ed, Healthcare, Tribal, Special Districts, Utilities | Government (especially state and local), K-12 and higher ed | State, local and education |
| Software required | None | Starbridge platform | Civic IQ platform subscription |
| Pricing | Scoped per program | Not published | From $2,000 a month plus the platform |
| Stated results | 10,000+ qualified meetings since 2016 | Customer-reported results, such as $16.4M in pipeline for ClearGov | Typically 4–8 qualified meetings a month, not guaranteed |
| Languages | English and Spanish | Not stated | Not stated |
Starbridge and Civic IQ details are from their websites as viewed November 6, 2026. Their claims are self-reported.
Starbridge Outbound as a Service
Starbridge describes itself as an AI go-to-market platform for selling to government and education, with buying signals, contact enrichment, account scoring, vendor spend intelligence, RFP tools and access to purchasing contracts. Its Outbound as a Service adds GTM engineering, cold-calling SDRs, email campaigns, CRM integration and pipeline reporting. Pricing isn't published. Read more in KSG vs. Starbridge.
Civic IQ SDR Service
Civic IQ offers agency spending data, decision-maker contacts and AI analysis of public meetings. Its SDR Service is a dedicated, human-operated team that makes 40 to 50 calls a day plus email follow-up from Civic IQ signals, and books meetings on your calendar. It starts at $2,000 a month, requires a platform subscription and typically produces 4 to 8 qualified meetings a month. Read more in KSG vs. Civic IQ.
Kensington Sales Group (that's us)
We're a government sales and business development firm founded in 2016 in Kensington, Maryland. We embed dedicated SDRs in our clients' sales teams to reach federal agencies, state and local governments, K-12 and higher education, healthcare, tribal governments, special districts and utilities, mostly by phone, in English and Spanish, and we report market intelligence from every call. There's no software to buy: we work from your data and your CRM. We can be up and running in as little as one week, and we've booked more than 10,000 qualified meetings for clients. See our case studies.
How to choose
- Start with your markets. If you sell only to state, local and education buyers, all three can reach them. If your buyers include federal agencies, utilities, healthcare systems, tribal governments or special districts, check who actually covers them.
- Count the subscriptions. A platform's outbound service usually comes with its software. That's efficient if you'd buy the platform anyway, and an extra cost if you already have data tools.
- Ask who's on the phone. Public-sector buyers respond to someone who understands how they budget and buy. Ask how long each rep has sold to government.
- Agree what a qualified meeting is, in writing, before the first call.
- Ask what you keep if you cancel: contacts, call notes and meeting history should stay in your CRM.
Using a platform and a specialist team together
You don't have to choose between data and people. Many teams use a platform to find accounts and a specialist team to work them. Our playbooks show how KSG's SDRs turn Starbridge signals and Civic IQ signals into meetings. For more providers, see Fed and SLED appointment setting companies.
Sources: Starbridge homepage; Starbridge Outbound as a Service; Civic IQ SDR Service; Civic IQ homepage (all viewed November 6, 2026).
This page is written by Kensington Sales Group, which competes with both services. Descriptions of Starbridge and Civic IQ are based on their public websites and may change; their claims are self-reported. KSG is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a partner of either company, and company names are trademarks of their owners.