- Integration, early industry engagement, and exportability at
the heart of Spring 2024 reforms.
- Introducing new checks and balances to avoid procurement
challenges, speed up frontline delivery and bring down costs.
- New approach to test and improve advanced new capabilities on
the battlefield.
A new procurement system will see earlier expert assurance of
future military programmes, ensuring they deliver for UK forces
on the frontline, under a raft of reforms announced by the
Defence Procurement Minister, today (Wednesday 28
February).
To avoid previous challenges where programmes have been
over-complex, over-budget, and over time, a new Integrated
Procurement Model will be brought in from April, which will see:
-
The Integration Design Authority (IDA) introducing new checks
and balances to avoid some of the challenges faced in
previous procurements.
-
Greater empowerment of subject matter experts across the
defence enterprise including defence scientists, government
export leads, finance experts and industry partners to
challenge and shape proposals before they receive the
go-ahead.
-
Increased focus on exportability of a capability at the start
of a procurement, to prioritise developing kit that can be
sold to and used by other nations.
-
Earlier engagement with the UK defence industry to ensure
quicker delivery of kit into the hands of the armed forces.
The new model will expose and resolve potential issues in any
major programme at the start of the process, aiming to avoid
unexpected complications that could cause in-service delays or
additional costs.
Minister for Defence Procurement, said:
There is no question that we are living in an increasingly
dangerous world, and so our approach to major military
procurement programmes cannot go on as it has before.
Pace, challenge, and integration are vital to setting ourselves
up for success and replacing the siloed nature of major
programmes that hamper timely delivery and squander global export
opportunities.
All parts of UK defence must embrace these reforms as a positive
shift in our approach that will deliver a military fit for the
future.
Delivering new equipment and technology more quickly is key to
the overall reforms, and the concept of ‘spiral’ development will
be at the forefront as new programmes are initiated. This will
avoid capabilities that are not adaptable to the changing
environment or are overly complex and too bespoke to export.
Rather than striving for perfection before delivering to the
frontline, capabilities at 60-80% of their full potential will be
provided to the user, allowing early application, and subsequent
improvements to reach their full potential.
Chief Executive of Defence Equipment & Support, Andy
Start said:
This reform is a key turning point for defence procurement and
change is already underway in DE&S to help defence realise
the ambitions set out today.
We aim to help bring greater insight from industry and allies
into the development of capability at an earlier stage, and we go
live with the first part of our new operating model in March to
set up major programmes up for success from the start.
The Archer capability for the British Army is just one example
where we have shown we can bring new systems and platforms into
service faster. We look forward to helping defence make this kind
of pace the norm.
DE&S, the MOD’s procurement arm, has recently redesigned the
way it operates so it can get equipment into the hands of our
armed forces faster. Its new operating model features a
single-entry point which will engage with the military earlier in
the process, to help set up projects for success.
It will encourage collaboration across MOD, industry and with our
allies to plan projects coherently and efficiently, injecting the
appropriate pace and innovation and making sure work is
deliverable, with spiral development built into the
plan.
Yet the new reforms aim to go further, avoiding competition
between the military Services for programmes to be approved and
encouraging people to speak up in the face of emerging challenges
for delivery – a key recommendation of Clive Sheldon KC’s report
into the AJAX programme.
Today’s announcement follows last week’s launch of the Uncrewed
Systems Strategy, backed by £4.5 billion in funding, outlining
how the UK is embracing technological change and implementing the
lessons from Ukraine, to deliver integrated procurement that is
agile and maintains our military competitiveness.
