Our Multi Role Oceanic Surveillance (MROS) team is delighted to have been crowned winners of Defence and Security Project of the Year at the Government Project Delivery Awards 2024.

With more than 120 nominations submitted, a ceremony was held in London to recognise and celebrate the innovation, leadership and resilience demonstrated by all those nominated for their involvement in complex and ambitious Government projects.

The award-worthy project run by the MROS team involved them securing two commercial ships from overseas, getting them modified and delivering them to the Royal Navy’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) through a rapid procurement that met all requirements within 10 months – two months earlier than scheduled.

RFA Proteus, a new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ship, and RFA Stirling Castle, a new mine-hunting mothership, were delivered at the end of last year and both ships are now operational.

Gareth Morris, MROS Project Manager, said:

“I am delighted that the fast-paced and innovative acquisition of RFA Proteus and RFA Stirling Castle by the DE&S MROS team has been recognised by the pan-Government Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

“All of our success is founded on openness and honesty. We were moving fast and asking for a lot of trust from Navy Command. Throughout this process, we focused on articulating the risks and rewards to our partners in the Royal Navy.

“Establishing ourselves as an honest, trusted delivery partner, meant we felt able to take greater risks and allowed the project to quickly move forwards.”

The award acknowledges that defence and security projects – such as those worked on by DE&S colleagues all-year round ‘protect our people, territories, values and interests at home and overseas, through strong armed forces and in partnership with allies, to ensure our security, support our national interests and safeguard our prosperity’.

Gareth added:

“This award recognises the huge efforts made by the team within DE&S and our colleagues in Navy Command and I’m thrilled to receive this award on behalf of everyone who helped to successfully deliver these ships. It’s been a great evening seeing all the excellent work delivered by our colleagues across Government.”

Through their commendable work, the MROS team demonstrated to the judges that their dedication to a project with global reach and influence embraced innovative approaches to change, to achieve the best outcomes.

This involved exceptional project delivery including stakeholder management and partnerships with allies and other government departments, to enable successful delivery and value-for-money while helping to maintain a secure and prosperous UK.