Project Overview
In pursuit of a major £135m contract with the Royal Navy for its Ancilia Countermeasures solution, SEA – a Cohort plc company – engaged Xacom as a specialist partner for project management and schedule risk analysis.
Xacom’s technical expertise and tailored approach played a pivotal role in strengthening SEA’s competitive bid and ensuring a smooth mobilisation phase post-award. Their work contributed significantly to SEA securing this prestigious maritime countermeasures contract.
“SEA engaged specialist sub-contract Project Management and Project Control resource to support our £135 million bid to the Royal Navy for the Ancilia Countermeasures solution – their expertise proved invaluable.
“As part of that support, Xacom developed a robust programme using Microsoft Project and conducted comprehensive Schedule Risk Analysis (SRA) with Acumen Risk, providing critical insights that strengthened our proposal.
“Post-award, SEA retained the specialist support throughout the mobilisation phase, and Xacom continued to demonstrate their commitment to excellence by delivering ongoing SRA services while simultaneously upskilling our team.
“Their tailored training on Acumen Risk enabled us to bring the SRA capability in-house, ensuring a seamless transfer of knowledge and empowering our staff for future projects.
“Xacom’s professionalism, technical expertise and dedication to client success were evident at every stage of the process. We highly recommend them as a trusted partner for programme development and risk analysis.” – Mark Alford, Senior Programme Planner, SEA
Services Delivered (over four months)
- Planning and Scheduling
- Earned Value Management (EVM)
- Schedule Risk Analysis (SRA)
- Deltek Acumen Training
Challenges
Bidding for a high-value and strategically important defence contract presented a complex set of challenges for SEA, including:
- The need for a robust, defensible programme plan that could withstand detailed scrutiny from a sophisticated government customer.
- Incorporating a Schedule Risk Analysis (SRA) that would demonstrate realistic project timelines and contingencies.
- Limited in-house capability with specialist tools such as Acumen Risk at the time of bid preparation.
- Ensuring rapid mobilisation and execution post-award while maintaining schedule confidence and control.
Intervention
To address these challenges, SEA engaged specialist project management and controls support, with Xacom at the forefront of programme development and risk analysis.
Key interventions included:
- Programme Development – Built a robust and structured delivery schedule using Microsoft Project, ensuring clarity, traceability and full alignment with Royal Navy requirements.
- Schedule Risk Analysis (SRA) – Conducted a comprehensive SRA using Deltek Acumen Risk, identifying key risk drivers and enabling SEA to present a credible and resilient project timeline within its proposal.
- Post-Award Support – Continued to provide SRA services throughout the mobilisation phase, supporting SEA’s transition from bid to delivery.
- Upskilling SEA’s Team – Delivered tailored Acumen Risk training to SEA staff, building internal capability and ensuring knowledge transfer for long-term self-sufficiency.
Outcome
Xacom’s contributions delivered significant value at every stage of SEA’s engagement with the Royal Navy. By combining specialist risk analysis with practical programme support, Xacom strengthened SEA’s competitive position and helped secure a high-profile defence contract.
The collaboration delivered:
- Contract Win – SEA successfully secured the £135m Ancilia Countermeasures contract, with Xacom’s programme and risk inputs recognised as a key strength of the proposal.
- Enhanced Capability – SEA developed internal expertise in schedule risk analysis through Xacom’s targeted upskilling and training.
- Seamless Mobilisation – Continued post-award support enabled a smooth transition into mobilisation, maintaining schedule confidence and project momentum.
- Trusted Partnership – Xacom’s professionalism, attention to detail and commitment to client success established them as a trusted, long-term partner to SEA.
Xacom’s work on the Ancilia programme demonstrates the power of combining technical precision with collaborative partnership. Their expertise in schedule risk, planning and capability development not only supported SEA in winning the contract but also ensured the organisation was equipped for sustained delivery success.
About Xacom
Xacom Project Controls is an APMG-accredited training and consultancy organisation specialising in Earned Value Management, Risk Management and Planning & Scheduling, and comprehensive Deltek Acumen and Microsoft Project software training. We work with organisations to deliver practical, high-quality interventions that improve capability, strengthen governance and drive measurable results.