Davejb
3) Don't let a civil servant oversee it, unless they have shown (via smaller contracts enroute) that they can actually run a contract without swapping a good dinner every three months for several million of taxpayers' cash.
Correct. Spot on.
A lesson in MoD(PE)/DPA etc civilian staffing. With a few exceptions, the lowest technical grade is PTO2/ HPTO/C2 (or TTO equivalents, depending how old you are!).
In the late 80s, the absolute minimum experience for a specialist avionic engineer HPTO in MoD(PE) seeking promotion to SPTO (C1) was to have managed a raft of radar, sonar, comms, navaids, EW and ELINT projects,
in each stage of the procurement cycle. He will have already served at up to 5 previous grades, been a project manager in at least one lower grade (e.g. minor works at a workshop), an Engineering Authority and very often an HQ “staff” job as what is now called Requirements Manager.
(Tell me, how many in DE&S have that background?”)
To attain promotion, he had to satisfy a promotion board consisting of 3 persons, all at least two grades above him, that he was suitable to fill ANY post at the higher grade.
By the late 90s, the C2 merely had to have been bagman for his boss for a year and, if he knew how to write, minutes secretary at a few meetings before going in front of a board. The board could partly consist of staff JUNIOR to him, normally some clerk in Personnel (sorry, Human Resources). He merely had to persuade them that,
in time, he would become reasonably competent in the post he was applying for.
As I’ve said before, not many Wg Cdrs on here would be happy if their promotion was determined by a Pilot Officer (with all due respect to any POs). And you wouldn’t expect a 21 year old graduate who’d never been near an aircraft to be appointed Senior Pilot. But, effectively, that is what happens daily in MoD acquisition. Looking at the DE&S senior staff list, I think I’m fairly safe saying that not one of them meets the 1989 criteria for the most junior post in PE.
I have a feeling recent events (Nimrod cancellation and the SAR-H fiasco) will be right up Bernard Gray’s alley, and his proposal to privatise procurement/acquisition (not yet clear he understands the difference) will be pushed forward. BAeS and others will be knocking at his door already. Think of the money they'll save not having to bid for contracts. They'll just run the whole show under a consultancy contract. Rest assured, they were working on their proposal long before Gray submitted his report.