This work will support the Met Office to award a number of potential future contracts which will include delivery partnership relationships of both a tactical (e.g. one-off developments) and strategic (longer term project and programme requirements) nature. The estimated value of GBP 30 million for this work is d on the potential demand and varying length of contracts which the Met Office may seeks to award through it.

The potential work will help transform the Met Office by supporting the following Strategic Actions identified by the MO:

— developing and nurturing capability partnerships,

— delivering a Common Met Office Data Platform,

— the future of Operational Meteorology (FOOM),

— exploiting the future of data sciences,

— taking a common approach to customer data services.

The Met Office is therefore considering establishing a work with a number of companies who can help with that transformation, both by bringing new skills and knowledge and by bolstering the capacity and capability of existing Met Office teams to deliver required outcomes. This should also include being able to supply additional resource to augment teams if and where further gaps are identified, ensuring up-skilling is provided if required. This does not include contingent labour which the Met Office have separate contractual arrangements in place for.

The Met Office’s new strategy requires a significant step change in technology systems, resources and ways of working. This is encapsulated in a number of ‘Strategic Actions’. Several of these actions will be realised via programmes of work with both customer benefit and technology at their heart.

The amount of change ahead is large and many of these changes are interrelated and complex, and the Met Office cannot make these changes alone. By extending our capacity and capability, we can move faster and focus on the areas we add real value by leveraging the expertise of partners.