Defence officials show "commitment and ingenuity" when ordering vital equipment at short notice, the National Audit Office has found.

In a relatively rare positive assessment of the department's procurement policies, the spending watchdog said the performance had been "impressive".

The comments came in a report on meeting "urgent operational requirements" (UORs), where streamlined procedures allow the MoD to support military operations by purchasing equipment quickly.

According to the NAO, defence officials have shown "impressive ingenuity to deliver urgent requirements to support recent operations".

Necessary purchases

Recent military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq required some 312 urgent purchases at a cost of £658 million.

Equipment purchased under such schemes included light machine guns, enhanced armour protection, communications and medical supplies.

The NAO said that such purchasing is now a "necessary and increasingly important feature of operations".

It added that the MoD "has shown impressive ingenuity to deliver urgent requirements to support recent operations".

However, the department was urged to "enhance its current systems to make information on UORs more complete, accurate, coherent and accessible to more effectively monitor what is, in total, a significant amount of expenditure".

"This would allow the MoD to consider further ways to improve the management and speedy and cost-effective delivery of UORs," added the report.

Auditor general Sir John Bourn praised the "speed, commitment and ingenuity of MoD staff involved in these urgent procurements".

"The majority of UORs arrived in Iraq on time, but with better information and better planning, the MoD should be able to improve on current performance for future operations," he added.