TSW
“Irrespective of what that specification says or requires, the company will ALWAYS say 'Yes, we can do that, and it will cost you £XX' The company will always say that the spec' requested can be achieved, without any hesitation, fact”.
I’m sorry, but I must disagree, although there is much in what you say. I accept that some companies do this, but they only try it once with an experienced project or programme manager, who is knowledgeable in the engineering aspects of the requirement. I also accept that it is not MoD policy to employ or develop such experienced staff, and hasn’t been for over a decade now. (CDP – 1996). The few unscrupulous companies rushed to take advantage. The majority were sympathetic and tried to help. But the capability gap this madness caused was just as difficult to bridge as operational ones; and remains so.
You mentioned one company, and there seems universal suspicion about them. Me? I don’t like dealing with their direct competitor. Their usual tactic is to study the background of each MoD project team member and, if they think anyone is a risk (that is, they know what they’re talking about and won’t roll over), they will institute a campaign to undermine that person, brief against him, demand that he be excluded from key discussions. Weak MoD “leadership” will permit this; in fact encourage it by their compliance. You’ve got to set the standards and rules up front. Failure to do this is, I believe, a key reason for the Nimrod debacle. Many knowledgeable people have commented here that the problems that have been encountered were predicted on Day 1. These experienced people were totally ignored, and when their predictions (statements of fact) materialised ….well, as you say, over budget and overdue. But that is not entirely the contractor’s fault. As ExRigger says, if MoD keep moving the goalposts the contractor is well within his rights to seek renegotiation – especially if they have been screwed down on price and not permitted sufficient tolerance in the programme to cope with the inevitable emergent work. Let’s face it. The vast reduction in a/c numbers (about 30 to 14 was it?) just handed it on a plate to the company. I recall people in the team throwing up their hands in horror and more or less giving up. The MoD acquisition system wears everyone down eventually. Companies just sit back and wait patiently for MoD to periodically implode, and rake in the profits.