• The AOF is an authoritative source of policy and good practice for all members of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and our Industry partners concerned with acquisition.

• The AOF will improve the consistency in our application of policy and good practice and play an important role in delivering better solutions for defence in the future.

The Defence Vision states the key principles which provide the basis of the Department’s work:

We achieve this vision by working together on our core task to produce battle-winning people and equipment that are:

• Fit for the challenge of today
• Ready for the tasks of tomorrow
• Capable of building for the future.

The Defence Value for Acquisition (DVfA), applied consistently across the acquisition community, will drive the behaviours of individuals and teams in delivering the Defence Vision.

As the authoritative source for policy and good practice in acquisition the AOF will play an important part in delivering the Defence Vision and the application of the DVfA.

• For enquiries about specific subject matter, refer to the contact details provided on each page.
• A full list of owners and contact details for all AOF content is also provided.
• If you have general feedback about the website or are having difficulties using it then please phone the AOF Team on +44 (0)1225 883047 (9355 83047 Internal).

• Launch of the AOF Tactical Layer:
  • Through Life Capability Management
  • Project and Programme Management
  • Commercial
  • Logistics
  • Safety and Environmental Protection
  • Engineering
  • Technology Management
• Information on:
  • Defence Values for Acquisition Toolkit.
  • USER Handbooks.
  • DE&S Business Process Reviews.
  • Sustainable Development.
• The first AOF Customer Satisfaction Survey will be available to complete online from 1 July 2008

• The AOF is organised into a hierarchy of three layers. The layers are designed to effectively meet the differing and changing demands of acquisition people.
• The Strategic Layer defines acquisition and how it works. It is an ideal source for new users and also a reminder to all of us of what the ’big picture’ looks like.
• The Operational Layer provides greater detail on:
  • The acquisition organisations.
  • The management of acquisition people.
  • The key principles and processes for acquisition.
• The Tactical Layer is the source of the most detailed guidance and instruction, and supports the principles, processes and mandates detailed within the Strategic and Operational layers.

• Welcome to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Acquisition Operating Framework (AOF).
• The AOF defines how we conduct, govern and control our Defence acquisition processes. It is a key enabler for improving our delivery to the armed forces and for driving greater value for money for the taxpayer. Since its launch in April 2007, the AOF has undergone significant development in refining the Strategic and Operational layers, and in construction of the Tactical layer.
• New AOF content has been developed and published incrementally from October 2007 to April 2008, which has enabled us to close and archive the Acquisition Management System (AMS). It now gives me great pleasure to launch and welcome you to the AOF Tactical layer.
• Improvements to the Tactical layer (and right across AOF) are planned to continue until October 2008. After this milestone the development stage of the AOF project will be completed and we will concentrate on continuous improvement, and realising the benefits of AOF.
• Please take the time to read the AOF and ensure that you and your staff understand its requirements.

Sir Ian Andrews CBE TD (2^nd PUS)