One RAF/MOD/MAA element of the 202 cockup in the insistence on changing the cabin seats in the 145. The cabin and seating in a standard 145 allow winching without problems, you just don't get ridiculous Mil Spec 'crashworthy' seats and then have to limit the size of your rearcrew to gnomes!
From what you've written there it seems to be not so much the 'insistence on changing the seats' at fault so much as either a) the Mil Spec being overly 'safe' or b) the selected aircraft being too small. If a safety-related Mil Spec exists then it is obviously going to be a very high priority for implementation in the contemporary climate.
a) you could fairly lay at the MOD's door, not so much the RAF's; b) is on the contractor.