News
Government Project Delivery Awards winners: Celebrating the best in project delivery
The annual Government Project Delivery Awards took place at the Locarno Suite in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, bringing together over 150 project delivery professionals from across government.
James Murray MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Becky Wood, Chief Executive Officer of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, presented 8 awards to individuals and teams whose work is shaping the lives of people across the United Kingdom.
Becky Wood, who is also Head of the Government Project Delivery Function, reflected warmly on the occasion:
“Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists. Your work is not abstract – it is about making sure that the investment in infrastructure actually comes to life, be that delivering new hospitals and schools, better transport links, modernised public services and more resilient communities.
“It was a real privilege to attend the awards, and I left genuinely inspired by the people I met in the room as well as the mix of people we need to bring out the best in our projects. You embody the very best of project delivery in government, and the impact you are having on people’s lives across the country is something I hope you are immensely proud of.”
The winners
Infrastructure Award
Recognising exceptional achievement from a government infrastructure project team.
Winner: Ministry of Justice, HMP Millsike – New Prisons team
HMP Millsike, the UK’s first all-electric prison, was delivered on time and under budget, creating 1,500 new prison places and supporting the government’s plan to add 14,000 places by 2031.
About the work of the new prisons team
Service Transformation Award
Recognising exceptional achievement from a government service transformation project team.
Winner: Home Office, Future Border and Immigration System (FBIS) – E-visa ETA
FBIS delivered one of the UK’s most ambitious digital transformations, creating a more secure, accessible and cost-effective immigration system supporting the government’s Plan for Change.
About the work of the FBIS team
Best Practice in Project Delivery Award
Recognising exceptional achievement in advancing the project delivery function across government.
Winner: Department of Health and Social Care, NHS AI Lab programme
The NHS AI Lab, launched in 2019 with £143.5 million investment, accelerated safe and ethical AI adoption across health and social care.
About the NHS AI Lab programme’s work
Data-driven Excellence Award
Recognising exceptional achievement by a government project team with innovation and data.
Winner: Ministry of Defence, Operation HIGHMAST Multinational Mission Partner Environment, NESTOR programme
The NESTOR Programme’s Mission Partner Environment (MPE) transformed UK defence operations by delivering a secure, data-centric command and control system in just 84 days.
About the NESTOR programme’s work
Team of the Year Award
Recognising excellent collaboration in project delivery.
Winner: Department for Work and Pensions, Pensions Dashboard Programme
The Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) addresses decades of pension system fragmentation by giving individuals a real-time view of all their pensions in one place.
About the Pensions Dashboards Programme’s work
Advancing the Profession Award
Recognising exceptional achievement in advancing the project delivery profession across government.
Winner: Department for Education
The Major Projects and Risk Division (MPRD) is the Department for Education’s centre of excellence for project delivery, supporting a profession grown from 200 to 600 colleagues.
About the Major Projects and Risk Division’s work
Inclusion Award
Recognising those who work to embed diversity and inclusion, driving positive change for our colleagues, the work we deliver and the wider project delivery organisation.
Winner: Department for Work and Pensions, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Group: Diane Johnson, Kami Gova, Katy Gartside and Shiraz Rana-Rahman
The Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Group within the Health Transformation Programme created Listening Circles. These are safe spaces addressing race, LGBTQ+ experiences, disability, neurodiversity, and caring responsibilities for over 600 colleagues.
About the work of the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Group’s work
Rising Star Award
Recognising the potential talent of someone working at Grade 7 or below, who is in their first 5 years of their Civil Service career in (or associated with) project delivery.
Winner: John Scott, HM Revenue and Customs
John Scott transitioned into project delivery in 2022 and rapidly progressed, achieving Foundation-level accreditation in August 2024. He led delivery of Triggered Migration within Making Tax Digital at HMRC, one of the programme’s most complex capabilities involving 175 user stories and 116 requirements.
Recognising the people behind the projects
The awards shine a light on the professionals whose dedication and expertise turn policy commitments into real-world outcomes, from new prison facilities and digital border systems to artificial intelligence (AI) powered healthcare programmes and improved pension services for millions of people.
Congratulations to all winners and nominees!