Forces to outsource non-military systems

The UK armed forces are setting their sights on 2003 as the completion date for a £400m a year project to outsource non-military systems to the private sector.

The project aims to phase out 130 disparate office systems used by the Navy, Army and RAF. They will be replaced by a more coherent information infrastructure across defence.

"We are trying to get the bulk of the project in place by 2003 to 2004," said Bob Quick, team leader for the Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) project.

The Defence Communication Services Agency (DCSA), the executive agency of the Ministry of Defence responsible for delivering IT and communications to the armed forces, is currently in the approval process with several contractors, said Quick.

Due to the complexity of the project, which will include non-military systems on board Navy ships, the DII project is likely to be broken up into separate contracts.

According to the DCSA, it is probable that the project will be a public/private partnership along the same lines as the Government's controversial plans for the London Underground.

Adam Pollard, former brigadier, and chief executive of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) logistics information agency, explained that the MoD has a tendency to over-manage, which has jeopardised past projects.

"The MoD frequently over-specifies everything. This project will only be a success if it makes it as modular as possible and adopts a plug-and-play approach to the technology," he said.