Rightly or wrongly we live in a world driven more and more by efficiencies and that is something the MoD is not good at.
Apologies if some of my figures are a little outdated, but currently the RN and RAF has around 40 SAR-H platforms (15 Mk5 and 25 Mk3/Mk3a Sea Kings respectively) to cover SAR-H training and 8 of the 12 UK bases.
A post 2012 PFI solution would likely need only around 60% to 65% of this number to cover not just the 8 military, but an additional 4 civil bases and that is the reality that a civil managed modern platform PFI solution brings. (Try saying that quickly without your teeth in.)
Could the military cover the same 8 bases with fewer platforms if the MoD were to procure new platforms? I’ve no doubt they could, but the military would be no match for a civil managed solution when it comes to efficiency.
If the taxpayer is to lose out on value for money, it’s because the Government is unable to finance new build platforms now and has therefore chosen a PFI solution and as I have noted before, this is not of the bidders choosing.
With national debt set to peak at more than £1tn in 2012-2013 and the UK being close to losing its AAA rating, the banks and bidders might well have just cause for concern over the financial robustness of the authority.