§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in the procurement of the Formation Communications System. [132176]
§ Dr. MoonieThis is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
32WLetter from Robert Walmsley to Mr. Robert Key, dated 23 October 2000:
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence as to what progress has been made in the procurement of the Formation Communication System. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.33WThe Formation Communication System is now known as project 'FALCON'. The Procurement Strategy was revised in 2000 to take account of Smart Procurement principles and is to purchase the FALCON equipment in successive increments, enabling the best value for money and the most up-to-date technology to be acquired for the armed forces. Invitations To Tender for a competitive Concept Phase to study the most appropriate technology and procurement options for the early FALCON trances were issued to six UK-based companies on 3 July 2000. Five responses were received. These have been assessed and it is intended to place four contracts later this year in order to study a range of different approaches to meeting the requirement.