I work in a similar sector but have a strong belief that the software delivery can and should become a capability that occurs within the government. They shoul

I work in a similar sector but have a strong belief that the software delivery can and should become a capability that occurs within the government. They should be diligent in what capabilities they choose to support. And ruthless in continually developing and pivoting these capabilities. This is true of any large organization or enterprise that operates in a software enabled domain, so yes, most industries. The idea that software development is too difficult and should only be contracted out to fleety consultants is one that needs to be properly put to rest. And to be clear, I'm not saying that consultants have no place. But for the type of technology and delivery as required by the project in the OP - there's no excuse.