One founding newsroom · Nigeria

A six-week investigative research pilot with a measurable finish line

Use one live public-source investigation to test whether Argus improves research continuity, citation coverage, and editorial handoffs—inside a dedicated, managed workspace.

Request pilot assessmentReview scope and safeguards

Founding-pilot terms

Duration
Six weeks
Team
Up to ten named users
Work
One public-source investigation
Deployment
Dedicated pilot instance
Fee
NGN 1,500,000

Subject to a signed order form, agreed scope, payment terms, and readiness acceptance.

Direct answer

What is included in the Argus newsroom pilot?

The founding pilot gives one Nigeria-based investigative newsroom a dedicated Argus workspace for six weeks. Up to ten named users work on one live public-source investigation, supported by onboarding, weekly operations reviews, an agreed scorecard, and a closeout evaluation. The fixed fee is NGN 1,500,000.

The managed engagement

The pilot is an operating test, not a software tour

Vorbtech and the newsroom define the working boundary, train the team, observe real use, and review evidence at the end.

Dedicated pilot workspace
A separate Argus environment configured for the participating newsroom.
Up to ten named users
Controlled access for the agreed reporting, editorial, and review team.
Managed onboarding
Role-based orientation, workflow setup, and public-data boundary briefing.
Weekly operating support
A regular review of adoption, blockers, incidents, and workflow adjustments.
Baseline and scorecard
Agreed measures captured before active use and reviewed at closeout.
Closeout report
A documented evaluation of results, limitations, risks, and recommended next steps.

Six-week delivery plan

A bounded timeline with decisions at each stage

The sequence makes ownership, readiness, operating review, and closeout visible before the newsroom commits to anything larger.

  1. Before week 1
    01

    Scope and readiness

    Agree the investigation boundary, named users, prohibited data, success measures, and operating contacts.

  2. Week 1
    02

    Baseline and onboarding

    Configure the dedicated workspace, train the team, and record the current research baseline.

  3. Weeks 2–5
    03

    Guided newsroom use

    Work through one public-source investigation with weekly support and documented operating issues.

  4. Week 6
    04

    Closeout and evidence review

    Review adoption, cycle time, citation coverage, editorial usefulness, incidents, and next-step options.

Good pilot fit

The newsroom is ready to evaluate a workflow

  • A Nigeria-based investigative or public-interest newsroom.
  • One suitable investigation based on public, non-sensitive material.
  • An editor or publisher who can own the evaluation.
  • A team willing to establish a baseline and attend weekly reviews.

Not accepted

Sensitive investigations remain outside the founding pilot

  • Confidential-source identities or source-identifying records.
  • Classified, privileged, or unlawfully obtained material.
  • Health, biometric, payment-card, or other sensitive personal data.
  • A requirement for certification, a production SLA, or autonomous fact-checking.

Success scorecard

What will be measured

These are evaluation targets, not current product-performance claims. The baseline is recorded with the participating newsroom in week one.

Team activation

Target: 8 of 10 named users activated

Weekly use

Target: 80% of activated users

Cycle time

Target: 20% improvement against baseline

Citation coverage

Target: 90% in the agreed editorial artifact

Editorial usefulness

Target: 4 out of 5 reviewer score

Operating safety

No unresolved P1 issue or unauthorised access

Pilot questions

Scope, cost, and editorial control

For security, retention, and AI-provider details, review the Argus trust page.

Read Argus trust and data handling

One founding newsroom

Assess whether your newsroom fits the founding pilot

Share your current research workflow and desired outcome. Do not submit confidential sources or sensitive investigation material.

Request pilot assessment