CRI, as member of a Consortium comprising also Atos Belgium, Intrasoft International and C-Dev, was awarded the Framework Contract DIGIT SM “External service provision in Service Mode for development, consultancy and support in the field of information systems”, Lot 2: “Software Development in Service Mode”.
DIGIT SM, with a four years duration, is of paramount importance to European Commission, as it establishes an innovative way of working for Software Development and Maintenance Services for Directorate General for Informatics.
The innovative way of working essentially consists in setting up an external Software Factory that will extend the internal software factory of DIGIT cooperating with it in an efficient, continuous, and agile way.
The key strategic objectives of DIGIT and EC regarding the implementation and maintenance of informatics systems, to be coved by this framework contract, can be summarised as follows:
- Predictability: In terms of cost, scope and planning (delivery) of information systems
- Quality in Service Mode: Reduce the number of bugs during development and ensure maintainability
- Agility: High agility with the maintenance services to complement (as needed) the development of applications
- True Software Factory model: Best agile practices with the Software Factory focusing on technical details (design, implementation, deployment, maintenance) and DIGIT’s stakeholders focusing on business and users’ requirements.
It is estimated that the Software Factory will reach a total workforce of around 200 qualified experts, with CRI participating with software engineers, automation testers, business analysts, and project managers.
As a key contributor of the Software Factory, CRI is therefore compelled to be at the forefront of technological progress, leading the EU software development practices and methodologies.