Mandate of the Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition

From Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition

Mandate

The Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition challenges the requirements for major military procurement projects and offers arms-length, third-party advice to the Minister of National Defence before the Minister or Treasury Board are asked to approve these projects.

The Panel was established in May 2015 through an Order in Council.

Responsibilities

To fulfil its mandate, the Panel is responsible for:

• Examining and challenging the foundational logic for projects under review to develop independent conclusions about whether:
  • there is a credible gap in the capabilities of the Canadian Armed Forces based on established Government of Canada policy
  • the High Level Mandatory Requirements for the proposed military capability appropriately reflect the capability gap
  • internal decision-making documents clearly explain the gap in Canadian Armed Forces’ capabilities, and the High Level Mandatory Requirements, with appropriate supporting information
  • the preliminary detailed technical requirements reflect the same overall level of capability as the High Level Mandatory Requirements
• providing recommendations to senior managers in the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces based on the Panel’s independent conclusions about projects it reviews
• providing written advice on the military requirements and any additional perspective that might be useful to the Minister of National Defence before projects are presented to the Government for approval.

Access to personnel and documentation

In carrying out its mandate, the Panel has full access to senior officials and specialized expertise within the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as all available documentation used in the development of projects.

Consult the Panel’s full Terms of Reference.