SC Vaid asked: The process of arms procurement is winding and complex. By the time a proposal is finalised, new weapons emerge. How can the process be improved?

Mahendra Prasad replies: In order to hasten up the procurement process, several long and short-term organisational and procedural re-engineering would be required. Few suggestions have been listed below:

Short-term measures

• Defence procurement being a highly specialised job, pre-induction training of service officers and bureaucrats before entrusting them the responsibility of procurement is a must. Presently, most of them learn the nuances of procurement on the job.
• Every procurement should be treated as a separate project with a dedicated team headed by a project manager. Presently, a lot of overlap of responsibility among various functionaries exists, and in many cases, delays occur as few functionaries in the chain fail to deliver their part of the job in time.
• Strict adherence to the laid down time lines. In case of delay, a delay report must be prepared. The report must identify the reasons and sources of delay in unambiguous terms.
• Give longer tenures to service officers (minimum five years) involved in the procurement process.

Long-term measures

• Establishment of Defence Acquisition College.
• Continuous tracking of latest technological trends.
• Vendor development instead of just stopping at vendor registration.
• A liberal defence production policy.