Material requirement planning (MRP) is a production planning and material (inventory) control system used in manufacturing. Objectives of MRP are to ensure materials are available for production while minimising inventory and to plan production and procurement activities.
MRP software combines the master production schedule, the bill of materials and the inventory information to work out the net requirements (net MRP) of what to purchase or produce and when.
These net requirements are worked out using the following equation:
Net requirements = Total requirements - Available inventory
Where:
Total requirement = Gross requirements (gross MRP)
Available inventory = Inventory on hand + Units on order
In the other words, Gross MRP = Net MRP + Available inventory, so the answer should be "The gross MRP includes consideration of available inventory, whereas the net MRP does not" LO 2, AC 2.3

Whole-life costing includes all costs from acquisition to disposal, ensuring comprehensive financial planning.
Essential components include:
* Acquisition and purchase costs: Initial costs incurred to procure the equipment.
* Usage costs: Operational expenses, including energy and consumables.
* End-of-life costs: Disposal, recycling, or decommissioning expenses.
Whole-life asset management aims to minimize these costs over an asset's lifecycle, ensuring value and performance.

Vendor-owned stock allows the hospital to keep essential items available without holding costs. The vendor retains ownership until the item is used, helping the hospital avoid large upfront costs for low-frequency items. This technique aligns with whole-life asset management principles by reducing inventory holding costs while ensuring critical items are readily accessible.

Maintenance can represent a significant portion of the cost in asset intensive organisations (such as Sidel - a food processor), as breakdowns have an impact on the capacity, quality and cost of operation. However, the formulation of a maintenance strategy depends on a number of factors, including the cost of down time, reliability characteristics and redundancy of assets. Consequently, the balance between preventive maintenance (PM) and corrective maintenance (CM) for minimising costs varies between organisations and assets. Nevertheless, there are some rules of thumb on the balance between PM and CM, such as the 80/20 rule.
Preventive maintenance is a type of proactive maintenance, while corrective maintenance is an example of reactive maintenance. Therefore, the answer should be "Balance between proactive maintenance and reactive maintenance".
Reference:
- Preventive and corrective maintenance - cost comparison and cost-benefit analysis
- CIPS study guide page 158-163
LO 3, AC 3.1