SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY

This Standard specifies the safety management requirements for defence systems. The level of effort expended on safety management and the detail of the analysis shall be commensurate with the potential risk posed by the system (i.e. the risk that would be posed in the absence of mitigation) and the complexity of the system, such that the resultant Safety Case is sufficient to demonstrate that the system is safe, so far as is reasonably practicable.

This Standard considers a system to be a combination of different elements including personnel, procedures, materials, tools, equipment, facilities, services and/or software as appropriate.

This Standard applies to all acquisition scenarios and all systems, whatever the combination of elements. This includes:

Equipment acquired for, or on behalf of, the MOD.

Services provided for, or on behalf of, the MOD.

Activities that are funded by the MOD in support of a. or b.

Whilst contract life may be limited, application of this Standard shall require consideration of the full life of the system, between concept and disposal, as appropriate. Application shall relate to all situations and scenarios, including normal operation, trials, training, peace enforcement or peacekeeping, tension and war.

In the response to an Invitation to Tender that calls up this Standard, the tenderer shall specify how they intend to meet the requirements of this Standard. The tenderer shall document any intended deviations from this Standard. For any intended deviations, the tenderer shall indicate how their approach will meet the intent of this Standard or explain why compliance is not considered to be necessary.

Whether pre-contract or post-contract, any deviations from the requirements of this Standard shall be agreed between the Duty Holder and the Contractor.

There shall only be agreement to remove or replace specific requirements of this Standard where it can be shown that there is no adverse impact on the safety, or on the evidence of the safety, of the system. The Contractor shall provide with their response to the Invitation to Tender, and maintain should a contract be awarded, a compliance matrix, or equivalent, for this Standard, showing:

Which clauses will be or have been fully complied with.

Which clauses will not be or have not been fully complied with, and why, including a description of any agreed alternative approaches and why they are acceptable.

Where there are conflicts between the requirements of this Standard and other requirements, a means of resolving the conflict shall be agreed between the Duty Holder and the Contractor.