ENGINEERING SUPPORT TO PROCUREMENT
When the Ministry of Defence (MOD) urgently needed to obtain an essential new hardware capability, Bass Rock managed and delivered all aspects of their Integrated Test, Evaluation and Acceptance process. As a result, the MOD were able to make an informed decision on down-selection, to find a system that fully met their requirements.
The Situation
An emerging threat from the battlefield meant that new hardware capability had to be developed, tested and deployed to the Front-Line Command (FLC) as quickly as possible. A series of tests and trials had to be conducted during the competitive procurement process, to help narrow down which hardware would best meet their requirements. This process is often referred to as Integrated Test, Evaluation and Acceptance (ITEA). In this scenario, the new hardware capability was required urgently, which meant that the ITEA needed to be successfully completed in an extremely short timeframe.
The Brief
Bass Rock were asked to manage all aspects of the ITEA, including:
-
Effective safety management
-
The infrastructure required for the tests
-
Supporting platforms
-
Instrumentation equipment
-
Co-ordination of key stakeholders, including the intended recipients of the equipment, industry personnel and senior management within Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S).
Our Approach
We provided a specialist who was able to support the client in both ITEA and project management. To enable the tests to be completed, our consultant took responsibility for delivering the Trials Order, Trials Equipment Schedule and a Trials Plan.
Along with these outputs, our consultant also became the Trials Manager, responsible for managing the trials across multiple locations and witnessing all tests in order for the trials to be conducted safely and effectively.
The Outcome
The trials were successful, and the results enabled Dstl to compile a Trials Report, which captured all test data and analysis. This informed the commercial down-selection, leading to the identification of a system that fully met the users’ requirements. In addition, the trials provided a baseline of data to support Acceptance.
Thanks to the performance of our consultant, we were also asked to manage all aspects of Acceptance as the new hardware formally transitioned from Manufacture to In-Service.