Originally Posted by
WE Branch Fanatic
Recently there was discussion on other threads of limits on flying hours being placed on aircraft in Afghanistan, largely due to the cost and limited stocks of spares. This makes me suspect that there is some truth in this story from the
Telegraph:
Troops use up ammo as war with Taliban claims 14th life
About 5 years ago the Non Project Procurement Organisation (NPPO) was formed to enable all 3 Services to obtain their spares and commodity supplies through major contacts let with "Industrial Prime Vendors or IPV." The premise for this action was based upon the realisation by some do-gooders that the same screwdriver (for example) was bought by three different people, working in three different Support Authorities (SA) across the three Services. The idea was that we (in the MOD) would let one contract, with one IPV for each group of similar items eg tools, and this would run for 5 years or longer. This IPV would then be responsible for purchasing the spares or other requirements from other suppliers, storing them, and then delivering them to each of the Services that required them, on demand to satisfy a Just-in-Time (JIT) requirement. The particular IPV for each segment would also be responsible for establishing and maintaining the supply chain and indeed the technical support for the spares or commodities it supplied. The upshot of all this was that we, "would not require all these costly hangars, warehouses, distribution centres, transport facilities, and suppliers to maintain the stock, and moreover, we can get rid of all technical bodies in the SAs and Integrated Project Teams (IPT) who have lived with the stuff over the years and provided technical support on demand. And above all, it will be much, much, cheaper."
All very laudable one would think, but four or so years down the line,
Do you get the correct fastener when you demand it and when you want it?
Do you get the correct piece of equipment to fit the fastener and does it arrive in time?
Do you get the correct aircraft fuel tank sealant for example and is it still in date and does that arrive in time?
Do you get the equipment spares you so desperately require and at the time you want them?
Do you get the technical support that you enjoyed pre NPPO?
Can you now afford what you want out of your meagre budgets considering there is a further middle-man in the supply chain?
Is it
really working?