At CGI, we have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects all the time. CGI member Pascal Coulon recently became involved with a VOA (Valuation Office Agency) transformation project which promises to offer deep integration with business processes, and in turn, allows cases to be processed quickly and more effectively. Read on to discover how he became involved with the project and the impact it will deliver in the real world.
April 2022
Agility, innovation and speed – these are the ingredients necessary for enterprise businesses to move ahead. I recently got involved in a transformation project at CGI that I am truly excited and proud to be a part of.
In a nutshell, CGI is providing geospatial resources to work as a Best of Breed team within the Valuation Office Agency (VOA)’s BST (Business Systems Transformation) programme. The VOA is an executive agency of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and gives the government valuations and property advice needed to support taxation and benefits.
This programme will transform the VOA’s business processes to enable faster, more frequent valuations. These valuations underpin the collection of around £50 billion each year in council tax and business rates, which funds local services.
The geospatial services provided by CGI will offer deep integration with business processes as well as one of the broadest ranges of geospatial data available. In turn, this will allow valuers to analyse all their data in a single place and process cases faster and more effectively.
As a team lead, I look after a team of 10 software and business analysts as well as data engineers who support the implementation and integration of the geospatial solution.
This project and my involvement came about because, as owner of the Central Government business unit’s geospatial proposition, I help establish and shape projects that include geospatial or mapping technology. CGI underwent a competitive process to win this project and was awarded the contract for Best of Breed team in geospatial. This, to me, is great recognition of CGI as a key provider in the industry not only within the UK but across the globe.
Challenges and real-world impacts
This project represents a large central government program, which involves a number of delivery partners and stakeholders. One might expect that a major challenge would be a technical one but instead, the largest obstacle we faced was kicking off the project with a team dispersed across the UK. Starting a greenfield project fully remotely added an extra dimension, and certainly proved our adaptability as a team.
The VOA is currently undergoing a complete review of their way of working, which involves reviewing their business process, IT functions and IT system. What CGI is helping with is building a unique, central platform to drive more efficiency within the agency. It will help the VOA to better manage council tax, non-domestic rating and associated valuation work.
Supported throughout the project
The CGI geospatial community is not just based in the UK but is a workforce dotted across the globe. It represents probably one of the largest geospatial consultancies in the world. Having access to such a large geospatial community is a tremendous asset that supports our projects from the bid process right through to the implementation phase.
We are fortunate that we have access to a range of training resources including technical training. These resources mean a great deal in terms of supporting CGI members at any level.
This is simply one of many exciting projects we get to deliver at CGI. So if you would like to be empowered to work on projects that make a real difference, on a global scale, visit the CGI careers page today.
