Jambo vs Tractivity: Stakeholder management software comparison

Effective stakeholder engagement and consultation are essential for governments and organisations to maintain transparency, compliance, and accountability. As projects grow in complexity and the number of stakeholders increases, managing engagement data manually or with generic tools can be challenging. Risks associated with such approaches include regulatory non-compliance, stakeholder disengagement, and project delays.

Stakeholder management software is designed to help organisations and governments mitigate these risks by centralising data, documenting all interactions, issues, and commitments, and providing comprehensive reporting. These tools support teams in meeting regulatory requirements and fostering inclusive engagement processes, with clear audit trails that enable comprehensive documentation of stakeholder input.

What is stakeholder management software?

Stakeholder management software is specialised software for managing stakeholder interactions and consultation data. This article summarises the features and differences between two stakeholder management platforms: Jambo and Tractivity.

Jambo stakeholder management software

Jambo is an international stakeholder management software platform purpose-built for organisations and government teams focused on stakeholder and community engagement and consultation. It enables centralised management of stakeholder data, communication tracking, issue and commitment management, and regulatory compliance documentation. The platform offers:

• Centralised contact and communication management
• Project-based workspaces with extensive user permissions
• Engagement tools, including a team planning calendar, campaigns, and secure AI
• Issue and commitment tracking
• Advanced analytics, custom dashboards, and pre-built and configurable reporting
• Integrations with Microsoft Outlook, Esri ArcGIS Pro, Esri Maps, Zapier, and an API
• Interface and features are built to WCAG 2.1 Level A standards (actively working towards the Level AA standard)
• Available in English and French
• ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 certifications; hosted on AWS in the desired data centre

Jambo operates globally with offices in Canada, Ireland, and Croatia. Data centres across multiple regions, including Canada, the US, Australia, and the EEA, are available to address data sovereignty considerations.

Tractivity stakeholder management software

Tractivity is a UK-based stakeholder management system. According to its website, it serves private- and public-sector organisations in the UK, Europe, and beyond, with listed customers including NHS Trusts, energy companies, UK transportation organisations, and UK educational institutions. The platform offers:

• Centralised stakeholder database and mapping
• Multi-project management with role-based access and permissions
• Engagement tools, including surveys, email campaigns, and events
• Feedback and issue management
• Pre-built reports and built-in interactive dashboards
• Integrations with Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Power BI, Mapolitical, Google Maps, Office 365, Zapier, and an API
• ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditations; hosted on Microsoft Azure

Source: tractivity.co.uk/pricing; tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/a-few-of-the-benefits; tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/service-and-support; tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/security-and-compliance 

Overview of the differences between Jambo and Tractivity

1. User interface and accessibility

Jambo uses a project-based structure, with projects serving as workspaces that enable complete data segmentation by project, department, or division. User permissions are controlled at the project level, and reporting is project-based by default, with an option to report globally across the organisation or government department as needed. Jambo currently meets WCAG 2.1 Level A accessibility standards and is actively rolling out updates toward WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance. All new features are built to the WCAG 2.2 Level AA standard from the outset. Jambo is mobile-responsive, meaning it is accessible on any device with an internet connection. 

Tractivity supports multi-project management with role-based access and permissions. The platform is cloud-based and accessible from any device with a modern web browser. Tractivity's website states that its interface meets WCAG 2.2 Level A accessibility standards and is mobile-responsive. It is worth noting that a platform-level WCAG claim does not necessarily mean every individual feature or module has been assessed against the standard.

Tractivity source: tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/security-and-compliance

2. Reporting and analytics

Jambo Insights provides advanced analytics that generate visualisations, including KPI trackers, pie charts, and bar charts. Users can combine these elements to create their own custom project dashboards and track team KPIs and project performance in real time. Jambo also offers a range of out-of-the-box reports, with the option to customise them to meet specific needs. Reports can be exported in Excel or PDF formats.

Tractivity offers 150+ configurable reports in PDF, Excel, and CSV formats, including qualitative, quantitative, and sentiment analysis. Built-in dashboards display KPI outputs and trends over time. Tractivity also offers a Microsoft Power BI integration for organisations that use Power BI for reporting, though this requires a separate Power BI licence and configuration outside the platform. Tractivity's website describes dashboards as built-in views of KPI data; it does not describe the ability for users to build fully custom dashboards from scratch using configurable widgets, as distinct from the platform's pre-built dashboard views.

Tractivity source: tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/a-few-of-the-benefits

3. Customisation and scalability

Jambo provides extensive configuration options, including custom fields, categories, tags, and dashboards. User roles include a contractor access role that limits users to adding their own data. Its project-based setup supports scaling from single projects to full organisational rollouts, with global and department-level overview options.

Tractivity supports multi-project management with role-based access. Tractivity's website does not provide details on creating custom fields, configuring user-created dashboards, or implementing tiered user roles beyond standard access controls.

Tractivity source: tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/a-few-of-the-benefits; tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/service-and-support

4. Support and customer success

Jambo's customer success team is made up of professionals with direct experience in stakeholder engagement, including staff with IAP2 certifications, the internationally recognised standard for public participation practitioners. This means Jambo's support team understands not just the software but also the discipline of stakeholder engagement. Jambo has both North American and European customer success team members, and support is available from 9am to 11pm UK time, covering both North American and UK time zones.

Tractivity provides dedicated UK-based account managers who can be contacted by telephone or email during UK business hours. Onboarding is conducted online, supported by monthly webinar sessions and an online knowledge base. Tractivity's website does not reference any stakeholder engagement sector qualifications or certifications held by its support team.

Tractivity source: tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/service-and-support

6. Global presence, data sovereignty, and localisation

Jambo has offices in Canada, Ireland, and Croatia, with customers in Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. Dedicated data centres are available in multiple regions, including a dedicated EEA data centre, enabling organisations to select the region that meets their regulatory and data sovereignty requirements. The platform is available in English and French, a documented requirement for Canadian federal and provincial government teams, and offers account-level localisation settings for setting the preferred currency, time zone, date display, and number format.

Tractivity is UK-based and describes itself as "the only fully UK-based stakeholder management platform." By default, all data is hosted in Tractivity's UK data centre. Clients with specific data sovereignty requirements can request an alternative hosting region, including the EEA or the United States. Tractivity does not list any non-UK offices. Tractivity's website states the platform is available in English and fully supports communication in Welsh, meeting the requirements of organisations operating under the Welsh Language Standards, a statutory requirement for many Welsh public sector bodies. Account-level localisation settings are available, though the website does not specify which settings are configurable. Tractivity does not reference French language support or localisation options beyond Welsh and English. It's also worth noting that Tractivity's data sovereignty options apply to data storage. As covered in the AI section below, AI processing via Azure OpenAI is not stated to be confined to a customer's chosen region.

Tractivity source: tractivity.co.uk

7. AI tools and data policy

Jambo offers a suite of purpose-built, secure AI tools. These include AI Sentiment Analysis, which automatically analyses the sentiment of stakeholder interactions, and AI Summarize, which generates clear summaries of communication records. Jambo also includes rules-based automation features, such as duplicate information detection and stakeholder creation when using the Outlook add-in. Jambo has an explicit, published AI policy that user data is never used to train AI models, an important consideration for organisations and governments handling sensitive consultation data. Jambo's Secure AI policy also goes a step further: AI tool usage is processed exclusively within your designated data centre region. For organisations that have selected a specific region for data sovereignty reasons, this means AI processing remains within that region. This is a meaningful distinction for government agencies and regulated organisations with strict data residency obligations that extend to AI processing, not just data storage.

Tractivity's website describes three features under the heading AI-Powered Stakeholder Management: stakeholder detection via its Outlook plug-in, duplicate record prevention, and survey response analysis. The first two, contact matching and duplicate flagging, are consistent with rules-based automation, a category of features that Jambo also provides. The third, survey response analysis, involves summarising and categorising text feedback, which Tractivity describes as AI-driven. Tratcit also states that they have AI Sentiment Analysis and AI Summarize tools. Tractivity's website states that all AI features run within its Microsoft Azure environment and that customer data is never used for model training or fine-tuning, with Azure OpenAI acting as a data processor on Tractivity's behalf. This is a meaningful commitment. However, processing via Azure OpenAI means that AI-related data leaves Tractivity's own infrastructure and is handled by a third-party processor. Tractivity's website does not state that AI processing is confined to a specific data centre region.

Tractivity source: tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/security-and-compliance

8. Security and compliance

Jambo holds ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 certifications. ISO 27017 is a cloud-specific security standard that provides additional controls for cloud service providers and customers. This certification is distinct from ISO 27001 alone and reflects a higher bar for cloud security governance. Jambo is hosted on AWS, which is SOC 2-compliant, and is monitored 24/7/365. Jambo's data centres across multiple regions support organisations and governments with specific data residency requirements, including a dedicated EEA data centre.

Tractivity holds ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditations. Cyber Essentials Plus is a UK government-backed scheme focused on foundational cybersecurity hygiene. Tractivity is hosted on Microsoft Azure and is monitored 24/7/365 by a security operations team. Tractivity does not reference ISO 27017 certification, and its website does not provide information on data centre locations or data residency options.

Tractivity source: tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/a-few-of-the-benefits; tractivity.co.uk/stakeholder-management-platform/service-and-support

9. Pricing

The Jambo Professional subscription, which includes 5 users and 5 projects, starts at $995 per month. Enterprise pricing is available on request.

Tractivity publishes pricing on its website, with subscriptions starting from £9,495 per year. The platform leads with "unlimited user access" as a headline feature; however, the same pricing page states that the licence fee is based on the number of users and projects. Teams should request a detailed quote to understand exactly how costs scale with their user count and project volume before drawing comparisons on value.

Tractivity source: tractivity.co.uk

Jambo vs Tractivity comparison table

Key considerations when evaluating stakeholder management software

Both Jambo and Tractivity offer core stakeholder management capabilities, including stakeholder databases, engagement tracking, reporting, and project management. When evaluating the two platforms, teams may wish to consider the following:

• Global operations and data residency: Jambo offers dedicated data centres in multiple regions (Canada, the US, Australia, and the EEA), selectable at account setup, with offices in Canada, Ireland, and Croatia. Tractivity defaults to UK hosting, offers alternative regions (including the EEA) on request, and has no non-UK offices. Organisations with data residency requirements that extend to AI processing should also note that Jambo confines AI processing to the customer's designated region; Tractivity does not make an equivalent commitment.
• Multilingual requirements: Jambo is available in English and French. Tractivity is available in English and meets Welsh Language Standards requirements.
• Specialist support: Jambo's customer success team includes IAP2-certified professionals with stakeholder engagement backgrounds. Tractivity's support team qualifications are not described on its website.
• AI security and data governance: Jambo publishes an explicit policy that user data is not used to train AI models. Tractivity does not publish an equivalent policy.
• Cloud security: Jambo holds ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 (a cloud-specific standard). Tractivity holds ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.
• Support hours: Jambo provides support from 9am to 11pm UK time. Tractivity's account managers are available only during UK business hours.
• Accessibility: Jambo meets WCAG 2.1 Level A and is actively rolling out WCAG Level AA updates, with all new features built to the WCAG Level AA standard. Tractivity states that its interface complies with WCAG Level A. Teams with statutory accessibility obligations should verify the scope of each platform's compliance; a platform-level claim does not guarantee every module or feature has been individually assessed.