Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Political pressure often leads to underestimating the necessary time for proper programme resets.
Conclusion
The SROs highlighted to us the need to take appropriate time to ‘do the job properly’. For the Ajax programme, the NAO found the Ministry of Defence had underestimated how long a reset would take. It expected to conclude negotiations to reset the contract in October 2017, but these took 15 months instead of two, with the legally binding agreement signed in December 2018. We heard from SROs how there is an understandable desire, and sometimes political pressure, to finish a reset as soon as possible.61
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 18 November 2023. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document ↗