In line with best practice, MOSL has adopted a multi-stage process for the development of the bilateral transactions programme’s business plan, i.e.:

1. Programme Initiation Document (PID)
2. Strategic Outline Case (SOC)
3. Outline Business Case (OBC)
4. Full Business Case (FBC) - see links above

At each stage the business case has been judged against five criteria (i.e. the Strategic Case, Economic Case, Commercial Case, Funding Case and Delivery Case).

The Strategic Outline Case (SOC) concluded that all five criteria either had a positive case that could be evidenced or that a positive case was forecast. Approval to proceed was given in April 2020.

Building on the work of the SOC and the data gathering exercise with participants earlier in 2020, MOSL developed the Outline Business Case (OBC), which concluded that all five criteria continued to be positive, with three – Strategic, Commercial and Delivery – strengthening to ‘evidenced’. The Outline Business Case was approved by the MOSL Board (which includes representation from across the industry) on 27 May 2020.

The Full Business Case concluded that the remaining criteria - Economic and Funding - could also be evidenced as positive. The Full Business Case was approved by the MOSL Board on 30 September 2020, with the budget contained in the FBC subject to a vote by Trading Parties at a General Meeting on 30 October 2020.