The Major Projects Report 2009

The Major Projects Report 2009
Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2009
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780102963342

The current defence programme is unaffordable. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has already reduced the deficit between the defence budget and planned expenditure by £15 billion, but a shortfall of between £6 billion and £36 billion remains. The financial crisis means a substantial increase in funding is unlikely, and closing the gap will require bold action as part of the Strategic Defence Review which is expected after the General Election. The MOD has reduced equipment numbers being bought on some projects and taken short-term decisions to slip other projects, but this approach will lead to long-term cost increases. In 2008-09, costs on the 15 major defence projects examined by the NAO increased by £1.2 billion, with two thirds (£733 million) directly due to the decision to slow projects. This approach does not address the fundamental affordability problems, increases through-life costs and represents poor value for money on the specific projects affected. There are signs of improvement in project cost control with innovative decisions being taken to ensure progress but unless the MOD addresses the underlying budgetary and governance issues it will not consistently deliver value for money nor will the operational benefits of expensive new capabilities be available to the Armed Forces in a timely manner or in the numbers originally planned. The current cost of 15 major military projects has risen by £3.6 billion, compared with the expected costs when the investment decisions were taken. The total slippage, averaged over the 14 major projects with in service dates, is over two years per project.

The major projects report 2010

The major projects report 2010
Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2010-10-15
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780102965506

Central departmental decisions by the Ministry of Defence to try to balance the defence budget have reduced its cash-flow requirements in the short-term but at a long-term cost that represents poor value for money for the taxpayer. Not making realistic budgetary provision for all likely project outcomes and slowing down projects has resulted in a £3.3 billion increase in a single year, 2009-10, in the total cost of the 15 largest defence equipment projects. For the second successive year the cost performance on the majority of projects has been broadly stable and the rate of timescale slippage has also reduced significantly since last year and 98 per cent of Key Performance Indicators are expected to be met. The MOD did not make realistic budgetary provision for all potential costs, for example, on the Typhoon combat aircraft where the Department decided that it needed to spend £2.7 billion on the programme including the purchase of 16 additional aircraft to meet contractual agreements. It has slowed down projects such as the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, leading to further project cost growth of £650 million. And, to address cost overruns, the Department has also reduced the number of items, and therefore capability, to be procured. The MOD recently undertook to report annually to Parliament on the affordability of its ten-year equipment plan, which should help deter the corporate practices which have adverse value for money implications.

The major projects report 2010

The major projects report 2010
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2011-02-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780215556530

This report examines the Ministry of Defence's progress in meeting cost, time and performance targets for its 15 top-spending military equipment projects. The Committee has reported before that the defence equipment programme is unaffordable with commitments exceeding forecast budgets over a ten year period by £36 billion. The MoD's short term decisions to keep in year expenditure within voted limits and the need to understand the full cost implications of these decisions have damaging consequences. In this year alone the cost of the major projects rose by £3.3 billion and nearly £5 billion was lost by late cancellations. The scale of problems created by this financial imbalance masks the improved performance of the majority of projects against cost and budget. The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) offered the Department an opportunity to bring its plans into balance with the expenditure limits set in the Comprehensive Spending Review. Projects such as the Nimrod MRA4 and Sentinel aircraft have been cancelled, accepting greater operational risks in some areas and writing off nearly £5 billion of taxpayer's money. But implementing the SDSR will require further decisions and the renegotiation or cancellation of a significant number of existing contracts to make the programme affordable. The Department has a poor track record in taking such decisions on the well informed basis necessary to optimise value for money. Other projects examined in detail include the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers and the Typhoon aircraft.

Major Projects Report 2008

Major Projects Report 2008
Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2008
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780102954425

The Major Projects Report 2007 covers cost, time and performance data for military equipment projects in the year ended 31 March 2008. 20 of the largest projects are examined where the main investment decision has been taken by the Ministry of Defence (the MoD) along with ten projects still in the Assessment Phase. Six projects are new to this report: future lynx; modernised target acquisition designation sight/pilots night vision sensor; naval extrememly high frequency/super high frequency satellite communication terminals; Typhoon future capability programme; advanced jet trainer project and project Eagle

Department for Transport

Department for Transport
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2011-07-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780215560407

The InterCity East Coast Mainline is a hugely significant rail service, carrying around 19 million passengers a year between London, the North East and Scotland. In 2005, a contract was awarded to Great North Eastern Railway, but financial difficulties at its holding company meant that the franchise failed 18 months later. In 2007, a new contract was awarded to National Express to run the franchise on the basis that it would pay the Department £1.4 billion over seven and a half years. At the time, the East Coast franchise was one of three operated by National Express. As a result of the economic downturn, expected passenger revenues did not materialise and National Express announced in July 2009 that it wanted to opt out of the contract and would not provide the necessary financial support to the East Coast franchise. National Express paid just £120 million to walk away from a contract worth £1.4 billion to the taxpayer. The Department turned down the offer of an extra £30 million for a 'no fault' exit in order to send a warning to other holding companies. But the Department completely undermined its position by making clear that the termination would not be held against National Express in future bids. In doing so, the Department allowed National Express to get away scot free and with its reputation intact. By its actions in this case, the Department has potentially incentivised other holding companies with loss-making franchises to terminate, rather than renegotiate, their contracts. In future the Department must make clear to such companies that failure to deliver on their obligations will have serious lasting consequences.

The BBC's efficiency programme

The BBC's efficiency programme
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2012-03-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780215042804

BBC's efficiency Programme : Seventy-third report of session 2010-12, report, together with formal minutes, oral and written Evidence

Sessional Returns

Sessional Returns
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2012-09-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780215048387

On cover and title page: House, committees of the whole House, general committees and select committees

The Major Projects Report 2012

The Major Projects Report 2012
Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2013-01-10
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780102980592

In respect of its largest defence projects there are early signs that the Ministry of Defence has begun to make realistic trade-offs between cost, time, technical requirements and the amount of equipment to be purchased. Nevertheless, the continuing variances to cost and time show the MOD needs to do consistently better. This report, which gives a progress review of the 16 largest defence projects, shows that in the last year there has been a total forecast slippage of 139 months and increase in costs of £468 million. This means that, since the projects were approved, costs have increased by £6.6 billion (around 12 per cent more than the planned cost) and the projects have been delayed by 468 months, taking almost a third longer than originally expected. It would be unrealistic to expect MOD and industry to identify every risk at the start of technically challenging projects. However, the continuing problems indicate that MOD has more to learn from historic. The MOD is accepting the capability risk and some wider costs resulting from these project delays and is having to make difficult decisions about long-term capabilities. The MOD has made a significant investment in new and upgraded helicopters to address the shortfall identified in the NAO's 2004 report. The MOD has also spent £787 million on air transport and air-to-air refuelling aircraft to support current operations and address capability gaps, such as those caused by the previously reported delays to the A400M transport aircraft. However, capability gaps remain

The major projects report 2011

The major projects report 2011
Author: Great Britain: National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Total Pages: 78
Release: 2011-11-16
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780102976786

Action taken by the Ministry of Defence to balance its overall budget in the short term following the Strategic Defence and Security Review has contributed to a near £500 million in-year cost increase in the 15 largest defence projects. When coupled with previous cost growth, these projects are now £6 billion above forecasts made when the main investment decisions were taken. For the third successive year, central planning decisions taken by the Department, including delaying various projects, have had the biggest impact on cost growth, accounting for £237 million of the increase. Of this, £113 million relates to decisions to enhance capability. Macro-economic factors, such as adverse foreign exchange rates, accounted for £176 million of the increase. Cost overruns from project-specific technical issues accounted for £53 million. During 2010-11, there was a total increase of 30 months (with an average two months per project) in the forecast time to complete these projects and bring them into service. This brings the total delay on all 15 projects to 26.8 years. Long-term cost analysis by the NAO has shown that the difference between the approved and forecast costs of all projects which have had their main investment decision approved since 2000 is £10.6 billion (an 11.4 per cent increase). Additional costs have been avoided by reducing the amount of equipment the Department originally planned to buy. Had the Department not reduced equipment numbers, cost growth could have been between £18.2 billion and £19.4 billion (approximately 20 per cent) above the approved costs.