4 | Triad Group Plc Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Strategic report
Our law enforcement footprint increased significantly during
the year. On top of work with our long-term national law
enforcement client, we also delivered projects concerned
with the digital implementation of recent law enforcement
legislation as it relates to international crime. Our relationship
with the Home Office’s Accelerated Capability Environment
(ACE) went from strength to strength, and we became
one of the select ACE Core+ partners within the ACE
community. A source of real advantage is that over 90% of
our consultants are already security-cleared, meaning that
we have been able to mobilise teams at short notice to work
within sensitive domains.
From a public sector perspective, it is extremely gratifying
to see that our work is directly helping to make the country
safer, cleaner, greener and more efficient. Within the private
sector, we successfully completed our delivery programme
within Westcoast. The Westcoast CIO praised not only our
delivery capabilities but also upskilling of the Westcoast
team, enabling them to utilise the latest engineering methods
on a self-sufficient basis.
Our Microsoft 365 specialists continued to offer solutions
to a range of clients including Electoral Commission, RES,
QEnergy and BEIS. In all cases, clients are relying on us for
the benefits of low-code solutions which are as robust and
durable as their more engineered cousins.
Our user centred design team have continued to combine
the latest academic thinking with creative approaches to
championing the needs of the user, resulting in the delivery
of systems which are a pleasure to use.
Routes to market were improved during the year with
successful enrolment on to the National Highways ITC
Framework, in addition to ongoing participation in frameworks
including DOS, G-Cloud, and Digital Services & Programmes.
Significant investment went into the development of our
“Communities of Practice” model. The three practice
areas cover (a) business analysis, user research, and user
experience (b) technical and (c) delivery management, project
management and PMO. Every consultant is a member of at
least one practice area, and these are self-organising groups
that seek to develop the collective skill-base to continuously
improve our client offering. Cutting across the practice areas
we developed “The Model Consultant” framework, aimed at
producing a consistently rewarding experience for our clients
and providing staff with a means of continuous professional
development. The solidification of these support systems
during the year is a crucial part of preparing the Company for
further headcount development.
Managing Director’s statement
Adrian Leer
Business commentary
The Chairman has set out some of the external macro
conditions that made for a challenging first half. I am
delighted with the way in which our teams responded to that
difficult first half, resulting in a profit for the year overall.
The Company has made some bold changes to its operating
model, a happy consequence of which has been a significant
increase in consultant headcount. With nearly twice the
number of consultants since 2021, it has been critically
important to retain the Triad culture that has permeated
through the business for nearly 35 years. The combination of
challenges and rewarding work throughout the year has seen
that culture not only preserved but enriched. We now have
a strong platform for future headcount growth that does not
compromise the quality of service cherished by our clients.
When it comes to client delivery, the year saw another
significant contribution to improving public services in the
UK, a source of great pride and satisfaction to all in the
company. Highlights included the delivery of an array of
project outcomes into the Ministry of Justice. Our team of
project management and programme management specialists
were involved in projects including digital prisons, technology
delivery into prison cells, legacy platform retirement initiatives,
and counter-fraud interventions. The service has bent and
flexed to accommodate a range of challenging objectives,
whilst consistently impressing the customer.
Elsewhere, we have enjoyed similar success at the erstwhile
Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
(BEIS). Operating across several discrete contracts, we
have supported BEIS in the areas of project management,
agile delivery, software development, platform migration
and technical architecture. Highlights have included the
successful launch of a case management system within
the Office of Product Safety and Standards, being part
of a mixed supplier/client team that won the accolade of
“Information Records Management Team of the Year” and
completing the Discovery stage for the Clean Heat Market
Mechanism service. The latter assignment cementing our
position as one of the digital leaders in the net zero space.
At Department for Transport, we successfully steered the
Road Transport Greenhouse Gas Service product through
a GDS Beta assessment; no mean feat for a system of such
complexity. It was particularly pleasing to pick up a range of
positive comments, including the extent to which our user
research activities addressed the accessibility needs of a wide
range of users, including those who identified as dyslexic.