2468. The UK MoD COEIA Process – Implications for Preliminary Design
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Paper
Abstract
This paper describes the Combined Operational Effectiveness and Investment Appraisal (COEIA) process used by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). This is a mandatory procedure at a number of points in any major UK defence equipment procurement programme. It provides the basis for the authorization of each of the key phases of the programme. The COEIA process combines assessment of both the costs of defence equipment options (on a total-life basis) and the military effectiveness of those options. The COEIA has proved an efficient means of identifying the defence equipment options that provide best value for money and the most robust solutions to UK military requirements. US defence contractors are increasingly encountering the complex UK MoD COEIA process in competing in the UK defence market. This paper outlines the UK MoD implementation of the COEIA process, and its important role in MoD decision making. It stresses the genuine MoD need for the comprehensive engineering data typically sought from US companies, via appropriate US DoD channels, for UK COEIA purposes. It emphasizes that MoD strictly enforces both company proprietary rights and US DoD release conditions on such data. The paper describes the COEIA process as applied in the UK MoD Air Systems area with which the Miter is most familiar. The theory and practice of the basic operational analysis element of the COEIA process are as well understood in the US defence community as they are in the UK. This paper therefore focuses on the context in which the UK MoD COEIA process works, in particular on the stringent independent COEIA audit required, and on the UK-particular objectives the COEIA seeks to meet. The paper also gives some tentative views on how the MoD’s ongoing Smart Procurement Initiative might affect the COEIA process. The paper reflects the author’s personal experience and view of the complex and dynamic COEIA process in the UK, with the final impact of the UK Strategic Defence Review and the UK MoD Smart Procurement Initiative on COEIAs still uncertain. The paper does not necessarily reflect the official views of the UK MoD.
