One of the major benefits of the disaggregation of government IT contracts has been creating opportunities for innovative and dynamic SMEs to grow and thrive. Companies that know that to compete with the big boys, you need to do one thing, and do it really well.
During my time in government I’ve learned that through specialism, quality of service and a flexible approach it is possible to provide a service that outstrips the competition, whatever their size.
This idea has been a driving force behind the creation of Velocitii Digital, which launched in early 2019.
I never wanted Velocitii to be another nameless, faceless corporation. After all, a personal connection with our clients is at the heart of what we do: placing specialists within government teams to assist on complex projects. The goal was always to provide real value by becoming an extension of the client, rather than simply acting as a supplier or consultant.
With that in mind, I thought I’d share a bit about what inspired the launch of Velocitii and what makes us that little bit different from the rest.
A Brief History
I joined the UK Government in 2013, after 16 years working within the private sector across the UK, US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, specifically within the area of investment banking and private equity.
The coalition government of the time was attracting specialists from the private sector in order to help government become a more intelligent customer when dealing with major IT suppliers.
This inspired my career shift and I subsequently joined the Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group, created by Lord Francis Maud. During this time I was fortunate to work across government with departments including HMT, GDS, MoD, DH, DWP, MoJ, FCO and the Home Office.
The opportunity to join government and work on some of the most complex technology, transformation and commercial programmes has been one of the best moves in my career.
Gaining Experience on a Global Scale
Up until very recently I have supported the Global Digital Marketplace, within the Government Digital Service, in its delivery on the FCO Global Anti-Corruption Programme, through the phases of business case development and approvals, recruitment, Scoping, Discovery and in to Alpha.
The programme uses procurement reform and HMG best practice and global reputation as the basis for fighting and reducing exposure to corruption within procurement, and by extension, strengthening government-to-government links with global partners.
This included working with some fantastic foreign government partners in Mexico, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa and Botswana, and multilateral organisations such as the OECD, the World Bank, IMF and civil society groups around the world.
The global reach of the programme, and the experience I’ve gained from it, is something that will be vital to the success of Velocitii. It’s been a real privilege to be a part of.
The Birth of Velocitii
During my time as an individual contractor within government, I’ve had the opportunity to see what a positive impact the right team of experts can make in supporting government departments to achieve real transformation, as well as better value-for-money services for the British taxpayer and citizens.
This inspired me to form a business consisting of like-minded, diverse and innovative individuals that can contribute more to my government clients.
The initial outcome of this was MD Commercial Solutions (MDCS), which had more of a focus on commercial and procurement projects. MDCS soon evolved into Velocitii Digital, with a focus on digital, data and technology (DDaT), but the same approach and dedication to expert delivery.
Big (and small) Plans
We are still a very small firm - technically a ‘micro firm’ by the Crown Commercial Service definition - and this is deliberate.
Our small team is currently working across three project teams within two key clients. By being small, we can be more agile and laser-focussed on each individual client and their requirements.
It also allows us to grow organically, with an emphasis on recruiting people with the right expertise, so that we can provide the best support to our clients.
Although we can see new opportunities to grow on the horizon, we don’t want to lose that sense of being an SME - either within the teams that we recruit or in the personal service that we can provide.
What Drives Us
We are drawn to departments with really complex projects and programmes that are in need of short term, tactical support. These are the projects that really energise us and challenge our experience and innovative thinking!
Our goal is to only work with a small number of clients at a time, on projects where we can add real value and truly understand what the client wants to achieve and the challenges they’re facing.
By having a deep understanding of our clients, we believe we can provide the right teams, at the right time and only for as long as our clients need, in order to achieve real outcomes.
As part of that we seek to embed ourselves within our civil service client teams, so that we can be upskilling and transferring knowledge every day. This ensures a smooth transition to a sustainable and civil service-lead delivery for the long term.
Where We Plan to Go Next
One thing I learnt during my early years in government is that it can be very hard to predict the future, even sometimes within the current year!
The changing nature and demands of government work are what keeps us learning and driven to achieving and contributing more. The passion to add real value for the benefit of government efficiency and the British citizens beats anything I worked on in the private sector in my early career.
I hope to continue growing Velocitii over the next few years; attracting the most talented individuals in the market, working on the most complex projects in government, and developing a reputation as a supplier that really understands and supports government in what it is trying to achieve for this country.
How To Work With Velocitii
We’re really excited to talk to government departments about the challenges they’re facing.
To discuss an upcoming project, you can reach out to me personally. Whatever the challenge, let’s have a chat and see what my team can do to help.