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Defence: Procurement

Asked by James MacClearyLiberal DemocratMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 16 December 2025UIN 98147

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which major defence programmes currently lack a full-time Senior Responsible Owner.

Answered by Luke Pollard

The time commitment required from a Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) depends on the scope, scale and complexity of the project. We follow National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) guidance and have full-time SROs on the most challenging projects.

In agreement with NISTA, we have identified the 15 most challenging of our Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) projects that require a full time SRO.

The remaining 33 projects currently in the GMPP, are led by SROs who may lead more than one project or have additional responsibilities.

The role of the SRO - whether civilian or military – is to provide leadership, while day to day management of programmes is the responsibility of the Programme Director.

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