This Part of the Defence Standard describes the purpose, rationale and procedures for the demonstration of maintainability and gives guidance to staff on the considerations for, and the practicalities of, an MDP. It describes the factors that the sponsor and MOD PM, advised by the R&M Panels, should consider before deciding whether an MDP is appropriate to the procurement strategy. It provides direction on the requirements for MDPs at the specification, invitation to Tender (ITT) and final contract stages. Guidance is also given on the preparation of the MDP plan and directive.

The requirements for an MDP will vary between systems and between Services; this Part of the Standard provides general direction so that common procedures can be applied. An MDP for an off-the-shelf system should be considered in the same way as for any other type of system.