§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Worcester (Mr. Luff) of 28 February,Official Report, columns 553-54, on the market testing of the Marine Services Organisation, what were the reasons for non-compliance with the management requirements of the task which led to the elimination of the in-house team. [26693]
§ Mr. SoamesThe in-house team's bid for the ports element of the marine services market test was ruled to be non-compliant since the proposed management arrangements were judged to be inadequate for the effective control of the task and to carry an unacceptably high risk of failure, with consequent financial and operational penalties to my Department. Specific areas of concern included the absence, under the in-house bid team's proposals, of a single focal point at each naval base responsible and accountable for all aspects of the provision of ports services. In addition, levels of delegation to junior staff were judged to exceed what was considered desirable.
289WThere would also have been no acceptable system of tasking and prioritising the resources available at each base from the outset of the new operation. The risk assessment associated with these management weaknesses took into account the increase in the marine service tasks to be performed and the reduction of resources with which to undertake them; circumstances which underline the need for effective management arrangements to be put in place. The in-house bid team was ruled non-compliant accordingly and eliminated from this element of the market-test competition.