Project Orion

Overview

The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) is responsible for delivering the UK’s Trident Missile programme on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. Project Orion, a £160 million international laser research facility, was a flagship development central to this mission. The project required urgent intervention to recover schedule slippage and achieve a critical reputational milestone for the MoD.

The Challenge

The main contractor had fallen significantly behind schedule, delaying access for the specialist M&E installer. Unless resolved quickly, the delay threatened the MoD’s ability to demonstrate progress at a key reputational milestone, with implications for both stakeholder confidence and international credibility.

Our Approach

We provided hands-on leadership to recover programme momentum by:

• Leading the client project team and coordinating efforts across stakeholders.

• Facilitating collaboration between the client, main contractor, and supply chain.

• Prioritising and expediting phased handovers of completed areas to allow the specialist M&E installer early access.

The Outcome

Through improved collaboration and decisive programme management, we enabled phased handovers that kept the project moving and safeguarded delivery of the MoD’s reputational milestone. Despite earlier delays, stakeholder confidence was restored and the project was positioned for successful completion.