The Department is also reliant on contractors on some of its maritime programmes, where between one sixth and one third of staff working on the Spearfish, Type 31e frigate and Fleet Solid Support programme teams are contractors. The Department puts this down to the burden of several major programmes being launched concurrently. It explained that it can draw on framework contracts for specialist skills where needed and that it is committed to reducing spend on temporary contractors.52 We asked...

The Department is also reliant on contractors on some of its maritime programmes, where between one sixth and one third of staff working on the Spearfish, Type 31e frigate and Fleet Solid Support programme teams are contractors. The Department puts this down to the burden of several major programmes being launched concurrently. It explained that it can draw on framework contracts for specialist skills where needed and that it is committed to reducing spend on temporary contractors.52 We asked the Department whether civil service pay rates are a limiting factor in keeping people in role. It told us that pay for specialist roles is a live issue Type: conclusion | Number: 22 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2022 5.2 The department acknowledges that the there is a highly competitive UK market for project delivery skills ranging from experienced project managers, project cont