Some of the best project delivery advice and outcomes you will see this year, won’t come from a lawyer, a project manager or a procurement lead in isolation. It will come from all of them—in the same room, solving the same challenge together.
Cross government and industry, clients are no longer seeking siloed expertise—they are demanding strategic combinations of diverse skillsets that match the evolving complexity and duration of projects. These engagements often span multiple phases, each benefiting from targeted expertise brought in at the right time. Seamlessly deploying the right mix of skills across these stages maintains momentum and keeps delivery on track. Proximity is at the forefront of this approach—aligning its multidisciplinary service offering to meet emerging needs and support clients across the full life cycle of a project.
That’s why multidisciplinary is no longer a buzzword—it’s the baseline.
That’s why multidisciplinary is no longer a buzzword—it’s the baseline.
A Case for Collaboration: Defence’s Creative Advertising and Digital Services Contract Transition
Defence Force Recruiting (DFR) recently engaged Proximity to lead the transition of a $125m+ Creative Advertising and Digital Services (CADS) Contract. The contract for all advertising and management of Australian Defence Force (ADF) Careers—covering media services, brand strategy, creative execution and operation of the website. It was described by the Executive Director as one of the best executed transitions seen over their many years in Defence. That success wasn’t about a perfectly written contract, a great risk register, or a beautiful Gantt chart. It was about the right people solving complex problems, together.
Having successfully led the end-to-end procurement process, Proximity was trusted to oversee the transition to a new service provider as an additional standalone phase. The task required a fit-for-purpose team—one that, alongside continuity, could operate with speed, structure and stakeholder sensitivity. The solution? A rich blend of Proximity’s commercial and consulting experts, working side-by-side with our client, the incoming and outgoing service providers, and broader government stakeholders to deliver a seamless handover of services and set the incoming provider up for success.
Why Multidisciplinary Delivery Matters More Than Ever
Expectations on government and industry leaders haven’t just risen—they’ve accelerated.
Clients don’t just want isolated deliverables—they need meaningful outcomes. They want professional services who can blend transparent governance, agile delivery and outstanding stakeholder engagement—consistently. They want support that helps them overcome challenges in real time—all while keeping delivery on schedule, within scope and to budget.
When delivery timeframes aren’t negotiable, external scrutiny is high, Business as Usual (BAU) can’t stop and the stakeholder landscape is complex—success requires a unified team that understands the environment and speaks the same language.
Proximity brings together the right mix of strategy, commercial acumen, and delivery capability—not in sequence, but in sync. Complex stakeholder engagement, change, risk and project management, overlaid with procurement expertise, commercial contracting and ICT transition experience all play a critical role. A multidisciplinary team can navigate through complexity to maintain momentum and drive results.
It’s not just what we deliver, but how we deliver—integrated, collaborative, agile and with purpose—that transforms high-stakes challenges into successful outcomes.
Success wasn’t about a perfectly written contract, a great risk register, or a beautiful Gantt chart. It was about the right people solving complex problems, together.
Multidisciplinary in Motion
The CADS transition needed to be seamless, strategic and invisible to the end user—the candidate. That meant minimal disruption, no duplication and no derailments, all delivered with complete transparency. A key part of Proximity’s value was the ability to adapt in real time—matching the skills and experience of its team with the shifting demands of the project. This flexibility, underpinned by a truly multi-skilled team, kept delivery on track and outcomes aligned.
Trusted by the Commonwealth to lead the transition on its behalf, Proximity designed and led a five-phase program with agile planning and delivery at its core, underpinned by formal governance and a clearly defined completion process for both the incoming and outgoing service providers. A low risk ‘lift and shift’ strategy was implemented, transferring accountability for services with nominal changes to maintain continuity of BAU operations.
The transition plan tracked several hundred tasks across seven workstreams, which were co-led by Proximity’s consulting and commercial special advisors. Responsibility was assigned based on subject matter expertise—not hierarchy. These cross-functional teams brought together diverse stakeholders navigating both long-standing and newly emerging relationships, including leadership from the outgoing and incoming providers, ADF, and APS personnel. This structure fostered alignment, responsiveness, and disciplined execution. Proximity focused on creating an environment of shared ownership, inclusive decision-making and constructive dialogue to preserve existing relationships, while building trust in new ones.
Widely regarded by key DFR stakeholders as one of the smoothest and most efficient transitions they’ve experienced, the CADS program reflects the strength of Proximity’s integrated model—combining commercial and consulting depth with delivery expertise. Our intentional resourcing approach and agile operating rhythm enabled a clean handover and positioned the incoming provider for immediate success.
“The rigour combined with your team’s experience and collaborative nature made for both a successful and enjoyable transition.”
— CEO, incoming CADS contractor
One team, one outcome
At Proximity, multidisciplinary delivery isn’t just a concept—it’s how we work. We draw on a broad mix of commercial, consulting and legal expertise, combining the right capabilities for each project and client context. It’s this integrated approach that allows our teams to move quickly, navigate uncertainty, and keep our clients outcomes front and centre.
Complex problems rarely follow a straight line—deliverables overlap, decisions move fast, and risk and opportunity can surface without warning. Proximity meets this complexity head-on with agile, multiskilled teams backed by consistent leadership and built-in quality controls. This gives clients confidence that momentum won’t be lost, and standards won’t slip.
Projects like CADS remind us that the real strength lies in the intersection between structure and strategy, commercial acumen and delivery leadership. That’s where the work gets done. That’s where value is created. And that’s the Proximity difference.
We draw on a broad mix of commercial, consulting and legal expertise, combining the right capabilities for each project and client context.
