Page 18 - RAPTC Number 102 2018/19

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www.raptcassociation.org.uk
HEADQUARTERS REGIONAL COMMAND
Maj (MAA) W R Pacter RAPTC
“Any damned fool can write a plan. It’s the execution that gets you screwed up”
(General James F Hollingsworth)
The quote from General James Hollingsworth has been a constant theme and sums up a challenging yet rewarding year in Headquarters Regional Command. If you didn’t know (I certainly didn’t before I arrived) one of the main outputs of the PD branch is to ensure that the Physical Training Equipment (PTE) budget for the Field Army is managed appropriately. This also includes enabling the service and maintenance contract for all units across the Army. We have attempted to frame this responsibility in simple terms: to provide advice and support to our RAPTCIs so their unit gymnasiums are fit for the 21st century (I should add that when I refer to ‘we’ I mean the PD branch – I am very lucky to be supported by three exceptional individuals: WO1 (SMI) Steve Cowley, Mr Tony Tang and WO1 (SMI) Gareth Slade-Jones). In the current context this means that the Field Army has the capability to conduct the Army Physical Training System and new Physical Employment Standards. Therefore, it came as no surprise that our first challenge was to produce a plan to procure £4m worth of PTE to support both the APTS and PES.
Spending this kind of money may sound easy and, in the past, wouldn’t have been too much of a challenge. However, I arrived just as the MOD renewed the PTE contract for the Army and instead of 2 equipment suppliers we now have 4 (5 if you include Wattbike). This has meant a complete change to the procurement process with more layers of complexity. Essentially PTE is now
ordered online and through a third-party organisation called Team Leidos. This has thrown up many challenges not least because the processes are new to Team Leidos too, but also because there are more hoops to jump through before procuring equipment. In the past you could order equipment directly from the supplier and have it within 4 weeks. Now it could take over 3 times that period. Additionally, as the new contract has been set up for all three services it hasn’t been designed to cope with a large surge of £4m worth of PTE for the Army.
Given these challenges, we devised a plan that focused on spreading the procurement and delivery of the APTS PTE among the 4 suppliers. The first mistake was not making Team Leidos aware of our plan. As you can appreciate this meant going to Team Leidos with our tail between our legs and smoothing the way. Fortunately, we had an ally in Maj Eddie Williams working within DE&S. He was key in assisting us in building good relationships with Team Leidos and other stakeholders in the procurement chain. In addition, as he was immersed in the world of equipment procurement (he constantly reminds us all about how he is responsible for ordering maternity wear and horse blankets), his inside knowledge was essential in understanding the process and how we should proceed; which at times was a journey of taking 2 steps forwards and 1 back.
PES planning meeting over breakfast in the Lakehouse, Aldershot