RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Octo Consulting Group (Octo), a premier next-generation IT Federal services provider, today announced the company was one of nine awardees of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Services Enabling Agile Delivery (SEAD) BPA contract, a contract with a $300 million ceiling over five years. Octo will provide Agile coaching, which includes process, technical and enterprise coaching, to advance DHS’ shift to Agile development.
“The Octo team has extensive experience implementing the Agile methodology at Federal agencies, which is why we are so excited to bring our unique approach to DHS as they lead the way for Agile within the Federal Government,” stated Mehul Sanghani, CEO and Founder. “Octo’s ability to embed our experts within DHS’ Agile teams will increase the pace of adoption across the agency and reinforce the critical role Agile will play in the continued modernization of DHS.”
Agile development imparts quality, transparency, and lower risk than traditional methodologies and does so cost-effectively by promoting speed and flexibility through adaptive planning. Octo has provided Agile coaches to several other agencies across the Federal Government. Implementing Agile at Federal agencies has produced positive results. At the same time, these technical implementations require specific steps to address the accompanying cultural shift needed to ensure success.
At DHS, leaders recognized there were groups within the agency that had adopted Agile, while others had not. The disparity in Agile adoption led to “silos of excellence” for Agile groups where the pace of development raced past those not embracing Agile. “As part of the SEAD contract, Octo’s experts will work alongside DHS employees and its contractors to implement best practices that have already proven successful in the private sector and elsewhere within the Federal Government,” said Tom Lee, Senior Vice President at Octo.
“Agile development is the most effective way to implement technologically challenging projects. This vehicle is a way for DHS to jump the technology curve, spark further innovation, and increase Agile adoption,” said Sujey Edward, Chief Technology Officer at Octo. “For successful Agile implementations, it is vital that projects also focus on the cultural shift required, which is why we believe so strongly in our ‘player-coach’ model for training DHS employees. Our hands-on approach will help DHS improve its Agile skills across the agency and develop leaner technical practices.”
About Octo Consulting Group
Octo is an industry-leading, award-winning provider of digital services for the Federal Government. As a next-generation provider of technology and modernization services, Octo specializes in providing Agile software development, user experience design, and cloud engineering services with scalable outcomes. Octo is known for challenging the status quo and continually exploring new ways to deliver value by improving, transforming and optimizing government IT systems. We believe results are a product of analytical and collaborative thinking, and by partnering with our customers, we develop original and strategic solutions to minimize business disruptions while maximizing resources to advance agency missions.
Octo is only one of three government consulting companies in the United States to maintain both a CMMI® Level 4 for Software Development (CMMI-DEV) appraisal and a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) Gold Partnership. Additionally, Octo maintains ISO 9001, ISO 20000, and ISO 27001 certifications. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Octo has offices in Alexandria, Virginia and Columbia, Maryland. Learn more at octoconsulting.com.
