Warwickshire tech firm Tisski secures £7.6m agreement with the Ministry of Defence

Technology consultancy, Tisski, has secured a £7.6m contract with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to help optimise and automate key business processes across the organisation. The two-year contract will focus on simplifying, streamlining and digitising manual procedures in all operational areas of one of the UK government’s largest departments.

Through increased automation and agile development of customised applications, the transformation programme will generate significant efficiencies, boost productivity and enhance governance across defence.

The digital agenda within Defence is moving at pace - the management and exploitation of data are key priorities. Tisski’s role is to help drive digitisation across defence by harnessing the MOD’s investment in Microsoft’s Dynamics 365, Power Platform which includes Power Apps, Power BI, Power Automate and Power Virtual Agent software as well as other technologies such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

The goal is to streamline complex and lengthy processes and minimise the management, administrative and compliance burden on employees by removing data input duplication and improving the accuracy and visibility of key information.

Tisski, based at Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, will provide a flexible service spanning the software life cycle, including business process analysis, concept development, production, training, live support and consultancy.

To deliver the required change, an Automation DevSecOps team from Tisski will partner with the Defence Agile Software House (DASH), an internal innovation centre which is driving forward application development and several other cutting edge initiatives across the MOD.

The MOD’s Defence Digital organisation has an annual budget of over £2bn and a 2,400-strong team that supports 200,000 users across 2,000 defence sites in the UK and globally.

As part of maximising the value of the MOD’s investment in Microsoft technologies, Microsoft Gold Partner, Tisski, previously led the creation of a Centre of Enablement as part of a £5.3m contract to develop solutions including a Capability and Acquisition Management System (CAMS) and Digital Approvals Tool (DAT).

CAMS is a system that automates the approval of interdepartmental agreements that span multiple business areas of the MOD, removing huge amounts of time-intensive administration and providing immediate visibility of the approval and milestones associated with the elements contained within an agreement.

DAT provides a highly streamlined and robust mechanism for approving business cases and is currently being used by Defence Digital.

Tisski’s work establishing the Centre of Enablement will continue to facilitate further in-house innovation and collaboration. It supports accelerated application development by providing the technical and governance framework to maintain consistent security and quality standards as well as tools, guidance and shortcuts for developers.

Brigadier Sara Sharkey, Head Application Services and Dev Ops at Defence Digital at the MOD, said: "This innovative programme of digitisation and automation will quickly deliver substantial and sustained benefits across the MOD and its workforce.

"New solutions can be conceived, developed and implemented at breakneck speed without compromising quality, security or usability.

"Our work within the Defence Agile Software House is already having a significant impact on the Defence modernisation agenda, we are at the forefront of delivering Application Development which are tailored solutions, developed by Defence for Defence."

“This is a landmark agreement for Tisski and testament to the quality of our people whose expertise and experience working with the public sector, responsiveness and commitment to collaboration is the reason why we secured the contract."

Anna Assassa, CEO at Tisski, said: “This is an innovative and agile use of technology that will have a transformative impact across the MOD, quickly rationalising processes and modernising ways of working.

“Removing the frustration, repetition and inefficiencies out of everyday tasks will unlock huge productivity gains and ensure employees can focus more time and effort on their core role.

“Microsoft Power Platform will enable rapid and cost-effective implementation of custom applications that have re-usable components providing a significant depth and breadth of capabilities, whilst ensuring the MOD gains exponential ROI from its investment in technology.

“This is a landmark agreement for Tisski and testament to the quality of our people whose expertise and experience working with the public sector, responsiveness and commitment to collaboration is the reason why we secured the contract.

“As a rapidly growing SME we’re extremely proud to be working with one of the largest government departments and playing our role in assisting them on their digital transformation journey.”