There are numerous ways of “balancing books”.
In June 1990 AMSO announced (after the policy had been signed off and implementation was underway) that instead of holding serviceable avionic stock to satisfy demands in accordance with the FUD priority system, from April 1990 they would only raise requisitions to initiate repair contracts or procure spares upon an outstanding demand being generated. Overnight, instead of demands being met within a few days, they went to delivery forecasts of up to 18 months. In other words, they didn’t need to spend money and trumpeted this as a savings measure. The fact front line couldn’t get their aircraft serviceable was neither here nor there. This policy was later rescinded up to a point, by the introduction of “Just in Time”; but the FUD system was never the same again.
Similarly, 3rd line workshops stopped holding spares as they appeared as a Debit on their balance sheet. They were sent back to MUs. Their books suddenly “balanced” but Turn Round Times went from days to months. It you time this right, the Debit doesn’t appear on MU’s books until the following year, as the sudden transfer of spares comes as a surprise and they simply can’t cope. At one workshop, the Executive Director (retired Air Cdre) used this device to make the savings he’d signed up to in his personal contract, and duly raked in his bonus.
In 1995 the Chief of Defence Procurement announced that, in future, no contracts were to provide companies with Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). (Take an aircraft Mid Life Upgrade programme. The aircraft for upgrade are fed to the company as GFE, on Contract Loan terms). One (senior) Service promptly demanded that their planned MLU for one aircraft fleet be cancelled, and brand new aircraft bought. Additionally, they withdrew all support for the programme as, according to CDP, all they had to do was sit and wait for their new aircraft. Again, this delayed contracts and resulted in a vastly reduced in-year spend, which looked great on the balance sheet, but the bow wave it created hit MoD a few years later. (CDP maintained his stance).
And so on. I’m not convinced. There will be systematic creative accounting at work here.