The Review team has interpreted its remit to include all aspects of the acquisition system (i.e., not just performance of DE&S) and how these impact on the ability of the MoD to procure and support equipments in an effective manner. As such, the Review has sought to understand and consider the implications on acquisition effectiveness of:
• the Defence Board;
• MoD Capability Sponsor;
• DE&S (both "ex-DPA" and "ex-DLO" parts);
• the Investment Approvals Board;
• the annual, Departmental financial planning process; and
• the financial control regime imposed by HM Treasury ("HMT").
The Review team has worked to establish a basis of agreed facts with the Department, primarily in the following areas:
• development of the Equipment Programme (both over time, and over the course of annual planning rounds);
• level of time slip in delivering projects vs. Departmental estimates, and drivers of delay;
• level of cost overrun in delivering projects vs. Departmental estimates, and drivers of overruns;
• cost impact of capability specified and approved but not delivered; and
• the system-wide impacts on costs from project delay.
Work has also covered a review of progress against objectives of key Departmental initiatives, including Smart Acquisition, Defence Industrial Strategy ("DIS") and the recommendations of the Enabling Acquisition Change ("EAC") study. Furthermore, it has examined change processes and programmes underway in the acquisition system to understand what is intended to be delivered through these activities.
Finally, the Team researched organisation, processes and performance issues from other international defence acquisition efforts, and commercial models of procurement that might be of relevance to the MoD.
Because the Review has been tasked with finding ways to improve acquisition, this report naturally concentrates on the perceived weaknesses of the system as it currently operates and the problems and difficulties encountered by the bodies that perform the necessary activities. However, it should be noted that the MoD acquisition community perform an essential task and do much good work. It is also important to recognise that there have been a number of major changes to the system over that last decade, many of which have been very effectively executed and which led to significant improvements.