... Surely picking up some poor chap from the bottom of a cliff is virtually the same whoever does the rescue? ...
Well no, actually. If the poor chap is below the High Water Mark then, by statute, the Co-ordinating Authority is different from if he were above it and may be the same organisation that it writing the cheques for the aircraft. In a real-world situation, this affects relationships between the organisations involved, reporting and recording, aircraft selection, training objectives, budgets, and, inevitably, to some extent, results on the ground. Only extreme care in the design of the contract process, open-ness, inclusiveness w.r.t. all SAR organisations, and a good grasp of commercial reality, will ensure the best outcome for all classes of SAR operation.