The specification and procurement of complex systems

The Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive) (MOD (PE)) has recognised the potential problems that could arise from poor specification and tenders in the procurement of machinery control and surveillance (MCAS) systems for naval ships, and have taken a lead by commissioning a guide to industry, targetted at obtaining cost-effective solutions for this purpose. This document is now in an advanced draft stage and subject to MOD (PE) and industrial approval. The principles described therein are common to all such systems and the guidance given, albeit in the context of MCAS systems, may be readily modified for other applications. Guidance is specifically targetted at the specifier (who defines the system requirements), the vendor (who tenders his design solution) and the evaluator (who compares the tenders with the specification to select the optimum solution). These various parts of the guide are overviewed.<
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