The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
Following
his visit to Iraq in March 2007, Lord Drayson sought advice on why
a proposal
to equip
more helicopters to “Theatre Entry Standard” had been
deferred.622
An MOD
official reported on 12 March that the Defence Management Board
(DMB)
had
reserved decisions on a package of savings and enhancements until
after the
Comprehensive
Spending Review was settled. The package included the
option
“to equip more
battlefield helicopters with theatre entry equipment” at a cost of
£260m
over
10 years.
Further
advice sent to Lord Drayson on 16 March explained that the proposal
was to
upgrade 10
Chinook, 3 Apache, 11 Lynx, 8 Merlin and 17 Sea
King.623
The
increase in
capability
was estimated to take between six and 24 months to
deliver.
Following
the DMB’s January decision, the proposal had not been developed
further.
The Inquiry
has seen no further references about taking the proposal
forward.
1188.
On 22 March,
Lt Gen Houghton wrote to Lord Drayson requesting approval
to
adopt an
“unusual contracting mechanism” quickly to deliver Tier 3 hardened
structures
at
BAS.624
That
involved using a “single, trusted Prime Contractor and using
proven
nominated
sub‑contractors for discrete, complex elements of the work”; the
contract
would not
go through a tendering process.
1189.
The timescale
for delivery was still 18 months but Lt Gen Houghton
thought this
was “a
pessimistic figure” that could be reduced to 12 months once a
detailed design
had been
agreed. There were no existing proven designs for structures that
provided the
level of
protection sought, so design work was “breaking new ground”. That
also made
it unwise
to shorten the design and trials period, but time would be saved by
adopting
the single
tender process.
1190.
Costs were
estimated at US$28m for hardening dining facilities and US$145m
for
hardening
“accommodation etc” for 4,500 personnel.
1191.
A note from
Lord Drayson’s Private Office on 26 April formally approved
the
contracting
mechanism proposed by Lt Gen Houghton, but suggested that
Lord Drayson
had agreed
it informally before that date.625
622
Minute
MA/DCDS(EC) to APS1/MinDE&S, 12 March 2007, ‘Update on Issues
Following Minister’s Visit
to
Iraq’.
623
Minute
DCDS(EC) to APS1/MinDE&S, 16 March 2007, ‘Further Update on
Issues Following Minister’s
Visit to
Iraq’.
624
Minute CJO
to PS/Min(DE&S), 22 March 2007, ‘Hardened Accommodation at
Basrah COB’.
625
Minute
APS/Minister(DES) to MA/CJO, 26 April 2007, ‘Hardened Accommodation
at Basrah COB’.
202