I suggest that the Officers/Civil Servants in charge of these procurements stay in post until the new equipment/strategy comes into force with the appropriate Service.
Instead of the 2yr turnaround of Officers in posts, keep them there until they see the work to a satisfactory conclusion, they may actually learn a job before moving on to enhance their career!
This way we actually get a management that may be able to manage and read contracts to the benefit of the Services rather than the detriment.
Now this may seem a dig at the Officer class but it’s not, I would like some sort of accountability for personnel in procurement, but if the managers swap posts every 2 yrs then all they do is pass on the mistake at the end of the tour behind the desk.
If they had to see it through then some people may actually be interested in what they are doing rather than treating the whole experience as ‘just a tick in the box, to get promoted’.
If they get the job done promote them, if not don’t promote rubbish. It may be a simplistic and harsh view but today we cannot afford to have people in charge of important procurement policies changing ¼ to 1/3 of the way through it, you get no continuity. You have to re-establish the network of communication every 2 yrs, from suppliers to workforce to the end user. Airmen can stay in post for 5+ years and they then become specialist on type, why can’t the Officer do the same. It will not hurt his promotion at all; in fact if he/she shows mettle and actually improves the workout put give them the advancement quicker, get rid of the jobs for the boys scenario.
I have been in posts where a new CO comes in and reinvents the wheel, not listening to his/her SNCOs that this has already been tried and failed in the past by a previous CO. (Hum LEAN issues springs to mind here.)
Oh well I am now looking round for that Flameproof CS95 kit………………………
