An Roinn Cosanta Óglaigh na hÉireann Department of Defence Defence Forces

Review Scope and Terms of Reference

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1.3 Review Scope and Terms of Reference

The maintenance of Naval Service vessels is conducted by military personnel at sea and ashore, civilian employees at the Naval Base and external contractors. The vessel maintenance function is focussed on ensuring that the flotilla meets operational readiness targets and specified patrol day deployment targets as per the roles and tasks assigned to the Naval Service. The objective of Naval Service vessel maintenance is:

“ to preserve Naval Service vessels in a determined state or condition, or to restore Naval Service vessels to a determined state or condition, in order to meet operational readiness and deployment targets.”
This Review examines all of the vessel maintenance activities required for vessels to achieve operational readiness and deployment targets, including maintenance of hulls, weapons, electrics, electronics and machinery. The Review encompasses the period 2003 – 2006 inclusive.

1.3.1 Terms of Reference

The terms of reference for the Review are consistent with the generic terms of reference for Value for Money reviews supplied by the Department of Finance and were approved by the Secretary General of the Department of Defence. The terms of reference are as follows:

Identify Naval Service vessel maintenance objectives.

Examine the current validity of those objectives and their compatibility with the overall strategy.

Define the outputs associated with Naval Service vessel maintenance activity and identify the level and trend of those outputs.

Examine the extent that Naval Service vessel maintenance objectives have been achieved, and comment on effectiveness.

Identify the level and trend of costs and staffing resources associated with Naval Service vessel maintenance and thus comment on the efficiency with which it has achieved its objectives.

Evaluate the degree to which the objectives warrant the allocation of public funding on a current and ongoing basis and examine the scope for alternative policy or organisational approaches to achieving these objectives in a more efficient and / or effective basis (e.g. through international comparison).

Specify potential future performance indicators that might be used to better monitor the performance of Naval Service vessel maintenance.

1.3.2 Membership of Steering Committee

A civil-military Steering Committee was established in 2006. The membership of the Steering Committee is:

Mr. Robert Mooney^⁴, Principal Officer, Department of Defence (Chairman)

Colonel Paul Pakenham^⁵, Director of Administration, DFHQ.

Ms. Eilís O’Connell^⁶, Principal Officer, Department of Defence

Captain Paul Keaney (NS), OIC Naval Support Command, Naval Service.

Mr Frank Griffin^⁷, Department of Finance

Ms. Patricia Troy^⁸, Assistant Principal, Department of Defence, Secretary

1.4 Methodology

The maintenance of Naval Service vessels involves a variety of units in the Naval Base, each with inputs, activities and outputs. The aggregation of each of these unit’s efforts, constitutes the overall maintenance output for Naval Service vessels. The relationship between each of these unit’s inputs activities and outputs was identified and expressed in programme logic format, which provided the evaluation framework for this Review.

The Review focussed on each of the unit’s activities and identified and costed inputs utilising a variety of methodologies.

Pay costs were extracted utilising the MIF system, cost centre codes and payroll analysis. The proportion of time available for vessel maintenance activities was derived through analysis of the military Personnel Management System and through existing job card analysis for civilian employees.

Material costs and contracted services were identified by the Naval Service utilising the MIF system and historical data.

The Review then focussed on the identification and quantification of activities for each of the units and their contribution to the overall maintenance effort.

The utilisation of job card data allowed for the broad quantification of civilian maintenance employee’s activities. Civilian support staff costs were apportioned based on the proportion of civilian maintenance staff time engaged in Naval Service vessel maintenance.
The activity of stores and procurement staff was quantified through the examination of orders placed and inventory issued. Inventory management was examined through analysis of inventory turnover levels.
The maintenance activity of military personnel is not captured via job cards and their contribution towards the maintenance effort, although identified in broad terms, could not be precisely quantified. The Working Group intended to utilise maintenance standard times for United States Coast Guard (USCG) Medium Endurance Cutters (similar to LE Eithne) to project overall maintenance effort required for this type of vessel and utilise this as a “best estimate” of military staff effort. The Naval Service were unable to perform such a projection.

The Review Group utilised a variety of methodologies in order to examine efficiency. The identification of a direct military comparator proved problematic due to variances in the specifications, capabilities, fleet size and age of vessels.

The Review Group decided to undertake focussed benchmarking on specific ship components that require significant maintenance activity. The Review Group approached engine suppliers Wartsila Ireland Ltd, who agreed to supply standard times for major routine maintenance for their equipment. The USCG supplied detailed maintenance information, including standard times, for their Medium Endurance Cutters (WMEC), which are similar to LE Eithne. These were compared with:

Maintenance of Wartsila W 26 engines on LE Niamh and LE Roisin.

Selected Maintenance routines for LE Eithne.

In order to examine alternative approaches to ships maintenance, the Review Group examined both private sector and public sector approaches. Members of the Working Group were given a comprehensive overview of maintenance management and execution in Arklow Shipping, an Irish commercial shipping company. Members of the group also examined the USCG approach to vessel maintenance and the initiatives being undertaken to improve this function.

The Review was assessed by an independent evaluator, in line with the quality assurance process required by the Value for Money and Policy Review Central Steering Committee.

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