Sollerta has been approached from time to time by Clients who have a good product to sell (perhaps an update to a piece of equipment, or a new equipment that could offer benefits over one already in service) but need advice as to how to arouse the interest of the customer.
A prime example of this is the Ministry of Defence where proposals for unprogrammed expenditure have always been discouraged, because their Equipment Programme (for Defence Procurement) and the Short Term Programme (for Equipment Support) are negotiated according to strict rules of the planning cycle.
Sollerta’s approach is to engage with the customer and to deduce what his views are of the current system, to try to get an appreciation of the perceived shortfalls whether in capability or support cost, and also the degree of difficulty in replacing it by a new equipment. (This might have already been done by the Client, in which case Sollerta would pick up these threads). Sollerta then carries out or organises an analysis of the costs and benefits of the proposed system coupled with an investment appraisal. Sollerta has good experience in carrying out Cost, Operational Effectiveness and Investment Appraisals (COEIA).
The outcome is an outline business plan, setting out the true cost of replacement and the return on investment in the form of reduced support costs, increased capability, increased revenue or combinations of these.
In the end, the Client’s customer has to decide whether the arguments put forward in the business plan are valid; if favourably impressed, he may decide to carry out his own investment appraisal - in which case, the battle is partly won. The customer, if convinced of the benefits of change, might then decide to hold a competition to explore other options. The Client would still have a good advantage with his knowledge of the problem and a well thought out and costed solution.
