CGI secures Ministry of Defence PICASSO programme support contract

CGI has been awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) National Armaments Director Group (NAD) to provide technical and project support services for the PICASSO programme.

PICASSO is a strategic programme that develops and sustains the UK’s national geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) capabilities.

Awarded competitively through the MoD Digital and IT Professional Services (DIPS) framework, the PICASSO Client-Side Support (P-CSC) contract will see CGI continue its long-standing support for the programme, providing client-side technical leadership and specialist project support across multiple sites.

Why sustaining the UK’s GEOINT capabilities whilst maintaining continuity is so important

CGI will help the MoD evolve and sustain mission-critical GEOINT, imagery, meteorological and live operational services while maintaining continuity for Defence users.

Strategic outcomes include:

• Evolving Defence capabilities while maintaining operational continuity across critical services.
• Improving programme effectiveness through flexible access to specialist expertise and collaborative delivery.
• Supporting the adoption of modern approaches to data, cyber security, Artificial Intelligence, architecture, Agile delivery and service management that strengthen operational capability while effectively managing risk.

Neil Timms, Senior Vice President of Space, Defence & Intelligence UK & Australia at CGI, said: “PICASSO is a strategically important programme for UK Defence and we are pleased to continue supporting the Ministry of Defence as it evolves these critical geospatial intelligence capabilities.

“Drawing on well over a decade of experience supporting the programme, together with the expertise of our partner organisations, we will provide the client-side technical leadership and specialist support needed to help deliver its next phase of evolution.”

How a range of specialist expertise will become accessible as the programme evolves

The contract introduces a flexible delivery model that enables the MoD to access specialist expertise as programme requirements evolve. This will improve execution efficiency while supporting the continued delivery of resilient digital capabilities.

Bringing together expertise across enterprise architecture, cyber security, systems engineering, agile delivery and service management, CGI will deliver the contract alongside a team of specialist industry partners, including QinetiQ, AtkinsRéalis, i3Works, Warleggan Consulting and 5Eyes Consulting.

CGI has supported the PICASSO programme since 2011. This contract further strengthens CGI’s long-standing partnership with the UK MoD and the assistance it provides to defence organisations for delivering secure, resilient and mission-critical digital services.