Defence has not provided a figure showing what proportion of major modular platforms are now reaching contract within two years.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard was asked by Conservative MP Stuart Anderson what proportion of major modular platforms were now contracting within two years, with reference to the acquisition reforms set out in the review.
Rather than giving a percentage, Pollard said work to accelerate procurement was continuing through a new segmented acquisition approach intended to tailor processes according to the type of equipment being bought and the level of risk involved.
He said: “Reducing the time taken to deliver capability to the front line is a key driver of our acquisition reforms. The new segmented approach to procurement is designed to enable programmes to get to contract faster by tailoring of acquisition processes to the type of capability and risk involved.”
The approach divides procurement into different segments, with acquisition routes intended to vary depending on the nature of the capability, supplier and programme risk rather than applying the same process to every project.
Pollard said guidance had now been issued across all three segments.
He said: “The Procurement Segmentation programme has published acquisition guides for all three segments to enable MOD practitioners to apply best practice to drive pace in our acquisitions. These are supported by ‘test and learn’ demonstrators on a variety of Defence programmes.”
The use of demonstrator programmes is intended to test the new arrangements before they are applied more widely across the equipment programme. However, the minister made clear that the reforms remain at an early stage, meaning Defence is not yet presenting a measured result against the two-year contracting ambition cited in Anderson’s question.
Pollard said: “The segmented approach is at an early stage, and benefits will be tracked as its use is expanded across a wider range of procurement programmes.”
