Last month, the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) released a scathing report into Australia’s $80 billion future submarines project – “the largest Defence procurement in Australia’s history” – which warned that the decision not to go with an off-the-shelf design has materially raised procurement risks:
The decision not to acquire a military‐off‐the-shelf submarine platform, and instead engage a ‘strategic partner’ to design and deliver the submarines with significant Australian industry input, has increased the risk of this acquisition.
It noted that the project is running nine months behind schedule and is experiencing cost pressures:
