Dr. Clarke recalls admirals admiring equipment on a ship while wanting a different combination for their own navy. Formal rules could prevent them from approaching a supplier directly. His recollection is that an informal lunch sometimes brought the relevant people together for a conversation. The anecdote illustrates the distance between liking an available item, defining a requirement, and navigating the relationships around procurement. It describes particular personal encounters rather than a universal procurement procedure.
Notable Point · 2:49:31-2:50:15
Informal conversations around naval procurement
A personal recollection of admirals and suppliers shows how informal conversations could accompany the formal process of defining naval requirements.