Recommendation 5

Revise aspects of the Approval process to improve decision making

a)  IAB to report to Executive Committee on control of equipment approvals. IAB charged with consideration of the affordability of total programme, not just single projects. Chair of IAB to be taken on by MoD DG Finance.

b)  Current Initial Gate/Main Gate approval process to be retained.

c)  Scrutiny community to be expanded / up-skilled to provide early advice to IPT Leaders on the preparation of business cases.

d)  Mandatory use of parametric data, independent cost estimations and other "should cost" tools to be used as basis of preparation of business cases.

e)  Projects pre-Main Gate should be included in the plan at 90th percentile cost.

f)  No business case should be accepted, nor requirement included in the overall plan, other than on the basis of costs derived as above.