Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 24 January 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 February 2000. It was answered by Lord Moonie (Labour) on Wednesday, 2 February 2000 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what were the lessons learned which will be built into the Smart Procurement Initiative from the outcome of the Horizon Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the lessons learned which will be built into the Smart Procurement Initiative from the outcome of the Horizon Programme; and if he will make a statement. [107042] Dr. Moonie: I am pleased to say that the principal "lessons learned" from the outcome of the Horizon programme covering procurement strategy, risk reduction, communication with industry at an early stage of the project, and affordability have already been built into the Smart Procurement Initiative, thus ensuring that they will be applied in all future circumstances. Other lessons included work share arrangements. The involvement of trans-national companies and OCCAR are likely to be helpful in dealing with work share issues. These types of issues will be taken into account as Smart Procurement Implementation progresses.

Secondary information