Delivering Availability Improvement for the Front Line Commands and Value for Money to the UK Taxpayer

DE&S (Defence Equipment & Support) plays a pivotal role in the UK Ministry of Defence, tasked with supplying the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force with essential equipment. Recently, an increased threat level has led to the need for higher availability from complex munitions.

Responsible for complex, long-term programmes that maintain the safety and performance of weapon systems in the UK, DE&S was navigating a huge number of variables.

Daily issues like tracking weapon availability across various organisations was a serious challenge, affecting the ability to prioritise repairs and maintenance, and predict the future landscape.

Overcoming these challenges needed a reliable partner, one capable of providing an external view based on irrefutable facts, and support of the whole weapons enterprise. External oversight was needed to see what these disparate systems needed, to both connect and streamline processes across multiple organisations.

Transforming day-to-day operations with an evidence-based approach

Practical and effective solutions had to be implemented quickly. We were able to partner closely with our client, using our experience of enterprise working in the sector, to efficiently grasp the challenges and pinpoint the best way to address them.

A targeted use of data underpins our approach, and is paramount to the success of our work. We used this evidence-based approach to help DE&S secure stakeholder consensus, and drive essential changes. 

The bespoke solution we collaborated on with DE&S directly impacted every team member, making operations more efficient and secure by simplifying everyday challenges.

A fundamental shift in behaviour

By engaging deeply with DE&S’s team, we gained a thorough and nuanced understanding of their daily operations. This close collaboration included scenario testing, evaluating real-time impacts on stockpile health, enabling us to pinpoint vulnerabilities in weapon inventory management.

Together, we built an advanced simulation model to track 19 weapon systems, incorporating over 130 parameters to deliver a detailed overview of their status. This provided a clear framework for efficient task management and prioritisation. 

We also introduced the UK’s first ever web application at Secret classification, granting secure remote access to vital information.

By combining our digital capability with the expertise of our people and culture teams, we identified the need for a fundamental shift in behaviour. Together, we were able to deliver change through a unified system, engaging with hundreds of stakeholders across DE&S, the Army, Royal Navy, RAF, OEMs, and Assurers.

Over 200 workers were onboarded through extensive training and guidance, an effort that became pivotal in embedding the new centralised system and driving enduring improvements across the organisation.

Our partnership with DE&S led to a significant boost in engineering productivity, enhancing weapon system availability by up to 20%, with a total benefit of £387 million, including £71 million in added capability. A 26% increase in operational availability was achieved for one asset, through improved decision-making, and a 34% improvement in throughput for another by addressing specific operational bottlenecks.

Beyond these financial and operational gains, our efforts catalysed a meaningful shift in organisational culture. The improvements we introduced are reinforced by ongoing training and resources, embedding lasting change across the national defence workforce for years to come.

By aligning the enterprise with one single source of truth, the use of advanced simulation and analytics in national defence was transformed. Front-line forces could receive the right equipment when needed, boosting readiness, keeping our nation and people safe.