How procurement decisions can slow shipbuilding

Clarke recalls asking an MP which troubled programmes justified greater Treasury involvement and receiving examples drawn entirely from Army projects. He attributes carrier cost growth to changes in government decisions and part of the Type 26 cost to contracts that deliberately spread construction over a longer period. On that account, more available yard space would not itself accelerate delivery because the customer had paid for a slower schedule. A colleague adds a remembered example of extra payments to maintain shipbuilding capacity beyond the needs of current orders. These accounts connect procurement cost with the timing and continuity of work, as well as the physical ability to build ships.