User:Old pedere/Strategic Partnering Arrangement

Strategic Partnering Arrangement
The Strategic Partnering Arrangement (SPA) was signed by AgustaWestland and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in June 2006. It was launched 6 months after the UK Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy which aims to promote a sustainable industrial base in the UK by retaining the key industrial capabilities needed to ensure operational sovereignty.

The SPA was the first formal arrangement to address the requirements of the Defence Industrial Strategy and remains the most advanced and wide-ranging response in the defence sector to date. Although other defence industry companies and commercial organisations have partnering arrangements with the MOD, none are yet as advanced or wide-ranging in scope. The SPA delivers specific industrial commitments and focuses joint performance improvement initiatives on all business activity between the MOD and AgustaWestland.

SPA Business Objectives

The primary business objectives of the SPA are to:

- Improve delivery of Rotary Wing programmes in terms of performance, cost and time.

- Improve the operational availability and capability of Rotary Wing platforms and systems throughout their lives.

- Improve the performance and effectiveness of AgustaWestland to enhance value for money for all its customers.

- Reduce the total acquisition cost and cost of ownership of helicopters and systems supplied or supported by AgustaWestland.

- Sustain onshore the skills necessary to provide a Rotary Wing Design Authority and support capability to assure the continued effectiveness of the rotorcraft fleet.

Since its signature, the SPA has established and developed a range of innovative agreements for helicopter support and efficiency improvements across the MOD and AgustaWestland’s business interfaces. It also embeds these core abilities in joint teams for future manufacture, upgrade, development and support opportunities.

In terms of the operational sovereignty identified in the Defence Industrial Strategy, a major independent study of AgustaWestland’s engineering and support capabilities for the current UK helicopter fleet has resulted in new Knowledge Management Systems and training for engineers to assure continued and consistent equipment performance throughout helicopter lifetimes. This jointly funded activity embeds specialist engineering skills for the long term future of the UK’s helicopter fleet.

Efficiency improvements are being delivered by a new Joint Modification Service (JMS) where MOD and Industry staff work together in a dedicated facility to provide significant improvements in helicopter modifications work. An unprecedented level of Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) activity has seen the development of new, more efficient processes that have delivered advanced capabilities to the Armed Forces on schedule and on budget. These programmes owe their successful schedule adherence to the highly collaborative efforts of the joint teams delivering them. Spares delivery and the provision of post-design technical services have also improved considerably.

Joint MOD and Industry teams collocated at AgustaWestland’s UK facilities are working together on Integrated Operational Support schemes for the Merlin and Sea King helicopter fleets. These innovative ‘Contracting for Availability’ schemes are expected to deliver significant through life cost savings over traditional support arrangements. Similar support programmes are in train for Apache helicopter and for the Lynx ‘Wildcat’ (AW159) when it enters service with the British Army and the Royal Navy.

Strategic Partnering offers opportunities to continuously drive efficiency and effectiveness improvements into helicopter business activities for the foreseeable future, as envisaged by the Defence Industrial Strategy.