In December 2008 the Secretary of State for Defence announced to the House of Commons that he had appointed Bernard Gray to lead an independent review of defence acquisition.
The Secretary of State clarified the Review's terms of reference as follows:
"Within the policy set by the Defence Industrial Strategy, the aim of this review is to examine progress with implementing reforms in the MoD's Acquisition Change Programme and to make further recommendations to secure better value for money in the identification, commissioning, procurement and whole-life delivery of major acquisition programmes. In particular, the review should recommend further ways of improving the delivery of projects within budget and on time"
It is important to note that the term "acquisition" has a particular meaning within the MoD. It is not a synonym for procurement or purchasing. It refers to the entire "cradle to grave" set of activities and processes to bring defence capabilities into existence, support them over their useful lives and dispose of them when no longer needed.