Through Life Capability Management: Transforming the efficiency of procuring operational capability

Through Life Capability Management (TCLM)

What is Through Life Capability Management (TLCM)?

As efficiency becomes the byword for good business across private and public sector, many organisations are reviewing their procurement processes and supply chain to ensure they are delivering value-for-money to all their stakeholders.

One organisation that is already undertaking a major change programme to evolve its procurement process is the UK MOD. Since 2005 publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) (and the formation of the Defence Acquisition Change Programme), the UK MOD has been evolving its procurement process to implement the processes, infrastructure and culture to deliver Through Life Capability Management (TLCM).

TLCM is defined as: “…an approach to the acquisition and in-service management of military capability in which every aspect of new and existing military capability is planned and managed coherently across all Defence Lines of Development (DLoDs) from cradle to grave.”

Why is Through Life Capability Management (TLCM) so critical?

Although heavily laden with military parlance, the MOD’s approach to improving capability delivery by taking an holistic approach to how it is defined, developed, managed and disposed, is of value to any organisation.

The ability to make investment decisions based on investigating how a change in training policy or updating IT infrastructure can deliver improved operational benefit, as opposed to cost of procuring new equipment, has huge implications on anyone’s budget.

The content on the pages under this In Focus topic, constitute both VEGA’s and UK MOD’s latest thinking around TLCM. Although TLCM developed for our defence clients, we believe that the principles of TLCM have currency in any other Government department or large commercial organisation.