QinetiQ has assembled Accenture, Northrop Grumman UK and ten specialist SMEs to compete for the Commissioning and Scaling contract within the British Army’s Land Intelligence and Targeting Programme.
QinetiQ has formed a UK consortium to compete for the Commissioning and Scaling contract within the British Army’s Project ZODIAC, bringing together Accenture, Northrop Grumman UK and a group of specialist small and medium-sized companies, according to the company.
Project ZODIAC sits within the Army’s Land Intelligence and Targeting Programme and is intended to improve how information is collected, processed and exploited across the battlefield, with the aim of giving commanders faster access to intelligence and shortening the time between detection, assessment and action. QinetiQ says the consortium is being built around digital engineering, systems integration and mission-critical technology delivery, drawing on the company’s seven years of work supporting ZODIAC.
The team includes Faculty, C3IA, Decho, Actica, Allan Webb, Naimuri, Inzpire, Vivace, Oxford Dynamics and Whitespace alongside the three larger companies. QinetiQ is presenting the group as capable of delivering the open, secure and adaptable digital ecosystem required for the Army’s future Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance capability, rather than as a collection of standalone software or sensor providers.
James Willis, Chief Executive of UK Intelligence at QinetiQ, said, as quoted in a news update: “QinetiQ brings an existing, deep understanding of the Army’s operational requirements, having supported the delivery of Project ZODIAC for seven years. By assembling a team with a proven track record of delivering digital capabilities and specialist innovation, we believe we can offer a digital and operational edge to the British Army.”
Accenture’s role is expected to centre on large-scale digital integration and data exploitation across defence networks. Leo Geddes, UKI Defence Lead at Accenture, said: “Accenture’s defence business combines a proven track record of large-scale agile delivery on critical defence programmes with the integration capabilities to connect data, intelligence and decision-making securely across multi-domain operations.”
He added: “We draw from our experience working with more than 20 NATO countries, across defence, security and intelligence. Together, this consortium offers the solutions and talent needed to help deliver and scale ZODIAC at pace to meet the evolving demands of the modern warfighter.”
Northrop Grumman UK is contributing experience in mission systems and digital information capabilities. Chief Executive Nick Chaffey said: “Northrop Grumman has a strong track record of delivering mission-critical digital and information capabilities that help our customers make faster, more informed decisions. By combining our expertise with the strengths of QinetiQ, Accenture and specialist UK SMEs, we will help to shape a solution that meets the evolving needs of the British Army.”
The Commissioning and Scaling element is significant because ZODIAC is intended to move beyond individual technology demonstrations and create a deployable digital architecture that can be expanded across Army formations. In practical terms, that means connecting sensors, intelligence feeds, targeting tools and command systems in a way that allows information from different sources to be fused and distributed without locking the Army into a single proprietary technology stack.
That requirement also places emphasis on open architecture and the ability to add or replace software and hardware as technology changes. The consortium’s composition reflects that approach, combining larger systems integrators with smaller companies specialising in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber, software engineering, autonomy, data exploitation and defence mission support.
QinetiQ has not announced the value of the competition, the timetable for contract award or the identity of rival bidders, and the announcement should not be read as a contract win. The company is positioning its existing involvement with ZODIAC, combined with the wider consortium’s digital and integration experience, as the basis for its bid for the next phase of the programme.
If selected, the team would be responsible for helping take the Army’s intelligence and targeting architecture into a broader commissioning and scaling phase, with the central challenge being to turn data from multiple battlefield sources into information that can be exploited quickly enough to support command decisions and targeting under contested conditions.
