Finland bans use of consultants in HX fighter programme

摘要

Finland's Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 17 April that Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen, following on from discussions with the country's president, Sauli Niinisto, had decided that bidders for the country's HX fighter replacement were no longer allowed to use external consultants. Furthermore, the MoD has appealed for external consultants not to be used by bidders in formal negotiations. According to the MoD, the justification for the move comes as the competition moves into its final phases, following the submission of second-round requests for quotations (RfQs) at the end of January. Therefore, a statement said, the MoD wants to make a clear distinction between the bidding companies and the consultants that represent them. The policy is to take effect immediately.