Explorer

• What's New
• Introduction
  • Overview
  • Use of the SSE
  • SSE Compliance Process
  • Key Roles and Responsibilities
  • SSE Points of Contact
  • SSE Introductory Presentation
  • Frequently Asked Questions
• Resources
  • Resource Overview
  • Compliance Tools
  • Tailoring Guide
  • Glossary
  • Archived Version of SSE
• Key Support Areas and Governing Policies
  • KSA 1 – Logistics Readiness and Sustainability
    • KSA 1 – Introduction
    • GP 1.1 – Logistics Readiness and Sustainability Requirements
    • GP 1.2 – Contractors on Deployed Operations (CONDO)
    • GP 1.3 – Support Continuity
    • GP 1.4 – Deleted
  • KSA 2 - Supportability Engineering
    • KSA 2 – Introduction
    • GP 2.1 – ILS Process and Support Solution Development
    • GP 2.2 – Reliability
    • GP 2.3 – Obsolescence Management
    • GP 2.4 – Automatic Test Systems and Test and Measurement Equipment
    • GP 2.5 – Configuration Management of Defence Materiel
    • GP 2.6 – Technical Documentation
    • GP 2.7 – Disposal
    • GP 2.8 – Training and Training Equipment
    • GP 2.9 – Manpower and Human Factors Integration
  • KSA 3 - Supply Chain Management
    • KSA 3 – Introduction
    • GP 3.1 – Supply Chain Management
    • GP 3.2 – Codification and Item Ownership
    • GP 3.3 – Inventory Planning
    • GP 3.4 – Packaging and Labelling
    • GP 3.5 – Materiel and Financial Accounting
    • GP 3.6 – Fuels, Lubricants and Industrial Gases
    • GP 3.7 – Equipment Transportability
  • KSA 4 - Logistic Information
    • KSA 4 – Introduction
    • GP 4.1 – Logistics Information Requirements Planning
    • GP 4.2 – Information Systems and Services Requirements Planning
• GPs Amendment or Development
  • Overview

Content

Support Solutions Envelope (SSE) Overview

Scope

A Support Solution is the plan that a project team develops during the acquisition of an equipment or capability that details how the support and maintenance of that equipment or capability will be sustained, wherever it is deployed, throughout the life of the equipment, right up to disposal.

Support Solutions Envelope

The Support Solutions Envelope (SSE) identifies the support policies that are deemed so critical to Defence that a project team must consider them when developing a support solution for an equipment or capability.

The SSE does not identify all policies that a project team may need to consider in developing a support solution, but only those deemed critical by the Key Support Area (KSA) Owner’s representatives to support coherence in the context of Defence.

The SSE is a tool:

• That provides the primary mechanism by which the Through-Life Support, Support Improvement Team (TLS SIT) delivers its advice and guidance outputs.
• That is designed to assist in the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Assurance process.
• Which project teams use to assess themselves for Ensurance and gain external Assurance against applicable Governing Policies (GPs).

SSE Governance

The SSE is developed and maintained by the Support Solutions Implementation Working Group (SSIWG) consisting of

• KSA owner’s Representatives
• TLS SIT Leads
• SSE Team

and which reports to the Logistic Policy Working Group (LPWG), which in turn reports to the Logistic Capability Steering Group (LCSG).

Terms of Reference – SSIWG [69KB PDF]

SSE Ownership

Director Joint Support Chain (D JSC) has been appointed the Support Solution Champion by Chief of Defence Materiel.

The Support Solutions Champion is the single point of authority for support solution assurance, and has ownership of the SSE and all 4 of its KSAs.

Key Support Areas (KSA)

The SSE is broken down into 4 policy areas known as Key Support Areas (KSA).

Each KSA is owned by a One-Star officer who is responsible to the Support Solution Champion for all support solution assurance activity.

Responsibility for day to day operation is delegated to an owners representative at OF4 level.

The KSA areas and owners representatives are as follows:

• KSA 1 – Logistics Readiness and Sustainability
  • Owner – Head Through Life Support
  • Owner’s representative – Log Ops-PolPol Support SO1.
• KSA 2 – Supportability Engineering
  • Owner – Head Through Life Support
  • Owner’s representative – DES JSC TLS-Pol-PC.
• KSA 3 – Supply Chain Management
  • Owner – Head Supply Chain Management
  • Owner’s representative – DES SCM-PolComp-PolDev2.
• KSA 4 – Logistic Information
  • Owner – Head Log NEC Programme
  • Owner’s representative – Log NEC Progs-SO1 Reqts and Process

These KSA provide the SSE Governance structure and necessary compliance authority upon which the assurance process is based.

It is the KSA Owner’s representatives who decide which GPs are sufficiently critical to Defence coherence to be included in the SSE, and it is against those GPs that the project team is to assess its support solution and ultimately gain Assurance or provide Ensurance where required.

Governing Policies (GPs)

Each KSA consists of a number of Governing Policies (GPs) which detail the policies that the KSA Owner’s representative has decided are critical to his area of operation. Each GP has a Subject Matter Expert (SME) as an advisor.

Every project’s support solution must comply with all GPs unless they are specifically excluded via the SSE Tailoring Process, which requires the agreement with the applicable KSA Owner’s representative that an exemption is justified.

Assurance GPs contain the policy against which an independent and mandated compliance check is conducted to assess risks to the delivery of an effective and coherent support solution.

Ensurance GPs contain the policy which allows a project team to demonstrate due rigour in the development of an effective and coherent support solution.

Compliance Tool

The Compliance Tool is a spreadsheet that enables project teams to manage their assessment and assurance activity. It does so by providing an information and evidence repository in which project teams are able to record decisions and activities against each GP.

Applicability

The SSE is applicable to equipment projects including:

• New capability,
• Upgrade (one that seeks and results in a material improvement to a capability),
• Upkeep (one which seeks and results in renewal, continuation, or extension of an existing capability without resulting in additional functionality or material improvement to a capability),
• Update (one which seeks and results in renewal, continuation or extension of an existing capability and, although it does not necessarily seek it, results in additional functionality or material improvement to a capability),
• Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) – (used for the rapid purchase of new or additional equipment, or for an enhancement or essential modification to an existing equipment, in order to support a current or imminent military operation),
• Information Systems (IS) enabled business change programmes.

The SSE should be tailored by the project team to meet its particular needs after consultation with the TLS SIT Support Solutions Officer (SSO) and the relevant stakeholders.

Any questions concerning the application of the SSE to a project team’s particular project or programme must be discussed and a strategy agreed with the appropriate SSO.

Support Improvement Team

The Support Improvement Team (SIT) is the primary point of contact for all matters pertaining to a support solution.

SIT Leads (OF4 / B2s) head Operating Centre facing sub-teams and provide a point of contact and focus for Operating Centres on support solution issues.

The sub-teams are staffed by SSOs who are allocated to specific projects as their principal TLS focus and provide a single point of contact for through-life support advice and guidance throughout the Acquisition Lifecycle.

Full details of the SIT role are available.

Contacts

For all aspects of the SSE the initial POC is the SIT Lead.

Detailed guidance on SIT Process, the Project Engagement Summary and full SIT contact details may be found at the TLS Support Improvement Team website.

Further Information

A fuller explanation of the Support Solutions Envelope can be found at JSP 886 Volume 1, Part 3. (JSP 886 Internet version)

Change History

Change History

Due to the significant number of changes contained within the SSE Version 5 update, ‘Change History’ will only reflect those amendments, inclusions or deletions which follow the launch of the website on 1st November 2008.

The SSE updated to Version 5.0.0 on 1st November 2008 following a full review of all documents and changes to a number of GPs. Individual document Change History pages will detail changes other than minor editorial amendments.

1 August 2010

Removal of ‘Support Solution Assurance Guidance’ paragraph.

Minor text changes.

1 July 2010

Minor text changes in KSA area.

1 April 2010

Text changed to reflect that support assurance policy and guidance is now incorporated into JSP 899.

1 December 2009

KSA 3 Title changed.

KSA 3 Ownership revised.

1 November 2009

Hyperlink to SSIWG Terms of Reference added.

Title for SSIWG revised.

KSA 4 Ownership revised.

1 September 2009

Paragraphs reordered.

‘SSE Working Group’ re-titled ‘SSE Governance’.

SSE Governance text amended.

1 July 2009

Support Solution Assurance Guidance paragraph added.

Contacts details amended.

KSA details expanded.

SIT details revised.

1 June 2009

‘CADMID’ hyperlink changed.

‘Compliance Tool’ hyperlink added.

1 May 2009

IPT replaced by project team.

SITO replaced by SSO.

Hyperlink to Tailoring added.

Minor text changes.

1 April 2009

Text and hyperlink changes.

‘Engagement’ changed to ‘Support Improvement’.

‘Directorate’ deleted.

DGS&E Assurance organisation information deleted.

SSE Ownership details added.

KSA information amended.

1 March 2009

Applicability information revised.

1 December 2008

Minor text change.

1 November 2008

Major update.