ABSTRACT
Supply management is crucial in western defence industries where the requirements of armed forces facing the threat of asymmetric warfare to international security demands a complex blend of information technology, in-service support, and product fl exibility. The case of the Future Aircraft Carrier is used here to illustrate some of the challenges of UK defence procurement and supply during the acquisition and early build phase. It is in this context that procuring complex performance (PCP) is adopted as a lens to explore transactional and relational complexity across the supply network, including themes such as governance, policy and practice processes, task partitioning, and outsourcing. The extended Resource-based View is included to distinguish between complementary and distinctive organizational capabilities, helping buyers and suppliers understand how to leverage supply skills, enhance partner cooperation, and improve project performance across the supply network. Four fi ndings emerge which merit further investigation: the mechanisms that join public policy and private practice, contractual and relational governance between fi rms, sharing fi rm resources across supply networks, and the importance of managing innovation across all phases of the platform lifecycle.
