SM and Flounder... you both have pertinent points from my perspective. No bidder will win by gold plating any solution or overdoing expenditure on infrastructure. However, to get 10 bases to work will need consideration on relocation of some bases as Flounder suggests notwithstanding the higher transit speeds from any of the new cabs. Clearly this will also be influenced by the customers's exact requirements for availability and response... It would be foolish to think at this stage that these will remain precisely the same as for the dead S**-H programme. Furthermore, the longer term costs of staying at any of the present bases will also need looking at given the great changes in MoDs plans since the SDSR. Of course, the final costs will also be affected by what is defined as accceptable infrastructure in these impecunious days... Don't think there will be many votes for more Leconfields or Lee on Solents around the place.
BTW - this is not another PFI...
