Overview

Stage 3 is where the idea stops being theory and starts becoming something you can actually build. Up to this point the work has been about proving what should be done and why. Delivery Preparation is about making sure the organisation, contracts, and people are genuinely ready to execute without losing the intent of the business case once reality arrives. 

This stage reduces delivery risk by locking in suppliers, clarifying responsibilities, preparing the organisation, and setting the programme up so implementation can proceed in a controlled and predictable way. 

Procurement process and award

This step converts the business case decisions into a delivery outcome by selecting suppliers and confirming how the programme will be delivered. Market engagement and technical refinement ensure suppliers understand the requirements and risks before pricing. Procurement establishes clear evaluation criteria and contracting arrangements, with pilots or staged delivery used where performance or integration risks need to be proven before full rollout.

Contractual arrangements

Contractual arrangements define how delivery will operate in practice over the life of the programme. Multi-year contracts typically support progressive installation while communications networks and systems are deployed in parallel. Clear allocation of responsibilities, performance expectations, service levels, and maintenance obligations ensures accountability and provides certainty for both delivery and ongoing operations.

Delivery team establishment and organisational preparedness

This step ensures the organisation has the capability and structure to manage delivery at scale. A multidisciplinary client team provides governance, quality assurance, and coordination across technical, commercial, digital, and customer workstreams. Organisational readiness ensures installation activity, system integration, and customer engagement progress in a controlled and aligned way.

Stage 3 Key Takeaways

Stage 3 turns the strategy into a delivery machine — finalising procurement, awarding contracts, and mobilising the teams who will actually put meters in the ground.

• • Procurement decisions are locked in and executed — with specifications, evaluation criteria, risk allocation, and contract structures translated into real market engagement and supplier selection.

  • Contract award and mobilisation create the delivery backbone — aligning suppliers, council teams, milestones, reporting, data standards, and SLAs so everyone is working to the same playbook.

  • The delivery team is assembled and prepared — bringing together project management, engineering, data, customer service, and field quality oversight so the organisation can manage a multi-year, high-volume rollout.

  • Customer-facing readiness is lifted — call centres, installers, and frontline staff are trained and aligned to handle practical issues, queries, reinstatement, and early billing questions with confidence and consistency.

The organisation prepares itself for the coming change by identifying what changes are necessary for the new operating model.

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