Topic hub
Defence & government project controls — CADMID and beyond
Project controls for UK defence and government programmes — CADMID lifecycle, EVMS on MoD contracts, IPA Gateway Reviews, and the SSRO cost-reporting regime. Written by practitioners who work in the sector.
About this topic
UK defence acquisition is governed by the CADMID lifecycle: Concept, Assessment, Demonstration, Manufacture, In-Service, and Disposal. Every phase places distinct demands on the project controls function — from option-level QRA and cost confidence analysis at Concept, through full Earned Value Management System (EVMS) reporting at Manufacture, to through-life cost tracking and sustainment controls In-Service. Controls practitioners who arrive from commercial infrastructure without this framework frequently find themselves wrong-footed at gateway reviews.
The assurance overlay on defence programmes is heavier than on most commercial work. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority conducts Gateway Reviews at key decision points on Government Major Projects Portfolio programmes, testing schedule credibility, QRA defensibility, and whether the controls function is genuinely informing decisions rather than just producing documents. The MoD’s own Major Projects Review Process adds a further layer on the largest programmes. The Single Source Regulations Office applies cost-reporting discipline to non-competitive contracts. Understanding how these frameworks interact is a prerequisite for doing controls work that survives scrutiny.
EVMS on MoD contracts is typically referenced to AACE 11R-88 or the MoD’s own EVMS guidance, and requires an integrated cost-schedule system with a formally baselined Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB). In practice, the most common failure mode is a gap between the technically compliant EVMS report and the programme’s actual delivery reality — a gap that becomes visible at IPA review even when it is invisible in the monthly pack.
The guides below cover the CADMID lifecycle in detail, how to structure controls evidence for gateway review, what EVMS requirements actually mean in practice, and the specific failure modes that recurring MoD programme overruns share. They are written for risk and controls leads on live defence and government programmes.
Guides on this topic
4 guides in this cluster
Guide
Project Controls in UK Defence — CADMID Lifecycle, MPRP Gateways, IPA Assurance
A practitioner's guide to project controls on UK defence programmes — what the controls function must deliver across the six CADMID phases, how MoD MPRP, IPA and DEF STAN test it, and where SOMA's defence consultancy work plugs in.
11 min read
Guide
CADMID Concept Phase: Project Controls Deliverables and Failure Modes
The Concept phase is where the controls function earns its right to be in the room — or fails to. A practitioner's view of what project controls must deliver at MoD CADMID Concept, what IPA Gateway 1 reviewers actually test, and the failure modes that recur on real programmes.
8 min read
Guide
CADMID Assessment Phase: Full Business Case, QCSRA and Main Gate
Assessment is where the option set is narrowed, the Performance Measurement Baseline is shaped, and the Full Business Case is built for Main Gate. A practitioner's view of what project controls must deliver, what IPA Gate 2 / 3 reviewers test, and the failure modes that get programmes red-rated.
9 min read
Guide
CADMID vs PRINCE2: How the UK MoD Lifecycle Differs from Generic PM
CADMID is a defence acquisition lifecycle. PRINCE2 is a generic project-management method. They do different jobs and they are not interchangeable. A practitioner's view of where each one belongs, what controls each demands, and how they coexist on real UK defence programmes.
9 min read
Frequently asked
Defence & government project controls — questions we get asked
- What does CADMID stand for?
- CADMID stands for Concept, Assessment, Demonstration, Manufacture, In-Service, and Disposal — the six phases of the UK Ministry of Defence’s acquisition lifecycle. The framework governs how every UK defence programme moves from initial requirement definition through operational service to eventual decommissioning.
- What are the project controls requirements at each CADMID phase?
- Controls requirements differ significantly across CADMID phases. Concept and Assessment focus on option-level QRA and cost confidence analysis under high uncertainty. Demonstration and Manufacture introduce mandatory EVMS reporting against a Performance Measurement Baseline. In-Service controls focus on through-life cost management and sustainment forecasting. Disposal introduces cost estimation and regulatory risk specific to the platform type.
- Is CADMID still the framework used by the UK MoD?
- Yes. CADMID remains the core acquisition lifecycle framework for UK MoD programmes. It operates alongside the Major Projects Review Process (MPRP) for MoD-internal assurance, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Gateway Review system for Government Major Projects Portfolio programmes, and the Single Source Regulations Office regime for non-competitive contracts.
- What is EVMS and when is it required on MoD contracts?
- An Earned Value Management System (EVMS) is a formalised approach to tracking actual cost and schedule performance against a baselined plan. On MoD contracts it is typically required from Demonstration phase onwards on contracts above a defined value threshold, with reporting specified in the contract data. Requirements reference either AACE 11R-88 or MoD EVMS guidance and DEF STAN contractual framework.
- What is the IPA Gateway Review process for defence programmes?
- The Infrastructure and Projects Authority conducts independent Gateway Reviews on Government Major Projects Portfolio programmes at defined decision gates (0–5). For defence programmes on the GMPP, IPA reviews examine schedule credibility, QRA methodology and defensibility, risk register completeness, EVMS implementation, and governance adequacy. A Delivery Confidence Assessment (Green to Red) is issued to the Senior Responsible Owner after each review.
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