The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recently published the Defence SME Action Plan outlining its ambitions to improve relationships with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Over the next decade the MOD is committed to spending over £186 billion on equipment and support. Defence has a major role to play in delivering the Government’s growth and enterprise agenda – the MOD accounts for over 40% of all central government spend with industry and its procurement activity includes some of the most complex and technologically advanced projects in the world.
SMEs are the backbone of the UK economy, fuelling economic growth and providing more than 15 million jobs. At the MOD, SMEs also play a vital role in helping to deliver efficient, effective and affordable equipment, services and support for the Armed Forces.
DPRTE is a unique opportunity for suppliers to engage with defence acquisition and supply chain.
The MOD is committed to supporting SMEs seeking to work in defence, whether contracting directly with the MOD or through larger prime contractors and has set an ambitious target that 25% of its procurement spend will go to SMEs in 2022, either directly or indirectly.
For all full breakdown of the plan, you can read Defence Online’s feature here.
So, what has been the reaction to the plan from those well placed in the industry to comment?
Defence Online has spoken to a number of organisations to gauge what the reaction to the plan has been.
Praise for the SME Working Group
The ambitions of the plan have been broadly welcomed – especially the introduction of the SME Working Group.
The MOD envisage the group will help give SMEs a voice alongside its ongoing engagement with its established major suppliers and provide an opportunity to be involved from the outset in identifying priorities, helping develop solutions and for checking the MOD’s progress on delivering against its commitments.
Gillian Askew, co-founder of Go4Growth, a fully funded service for SMEs, told Defence Online: “It is really encouraging to see the continued work that the Ministry of Defence are doing to engage SMEs. Providing a voice for smaller organisations through the SME Working Group is a solid approach to ensuring that there is both focus and understanding of what the small business sector needs in order to be better equipped to take part.”
Scott Verney, CEO of Subsea Craft – a UK-based Advanced Research, Design and Development Lab for future naval technology and engineering, was also positive about the increased levels of engagement between the MOD and SMEs through the SME Working Group.
He said: “This promises to be a good initiative that I hope will give SMEs like Subsea Craft a greater voice in the sector, and in turn foster a stronger, more collaborative approach that will be vital in quickly identifying key challenges facing the industry – and developing solutions to those challenges.”
Progress in harnessing innovation and technology from SMEs
One of the MOD’s commitments within plan is the establishment of a UK-wide Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) that will look to support SMEs across the Defence sector in developing innovative technologies and winning new business, through working collaboratively with higher tier companies.
Nick Garland, Head of Defence and Secure Government, CDW UK, said this was a recognition of the significance of SMEs in creating the new technologies driving the MOD’s search for battlefield advantage.
“The challenge for the SME Defence community is routinely to break through the regulatory and necessary boundaries of dealing with scaled Primes and the wider Defence community.
“This paper goes some way to better acknowledge the vital importance of the UK’s prosperous SME organisations that are increasingly producing data driven, battle winning technologies.
“Leveraging the agile and innovative presence of the SME fraternity, the Defence SME Action Plan will better enable the UK to innovate at scale as part of the international prosperity agenda.”
Helping to deliver the Government’s levelling up policy
The plan will see the MOD pilot a network of new Regional Defence and Security Clusters (RDSCs) to encourage industry and government to share ideas, promote collaboration and commercialisation.
The creation of these RDSCs is intended to develop innovative regional industrial capabilities to contribute to UK military capability by creating collaborative pathways for SMEs as a route into the defence supply chain.
Cameron Tonkin, Sector Director for Defence at construction and engineering specialists Costain, told Defence Online he thought that the plan was good news for supply chain innovation and collaboration across the UK.
He said: “The MOD SME Action Plan is a positive step for regional socioeconomic prosperity and the governments levelling up agenda. Through the 13 commitments, it is clear to see the implications and outcomes expected for SMEs as well as the part all of us in the supply chain can play.
“The creation of more entry points, the simplification of the procurement process and the guidance on agile delivery are vital for innovation and collaboration in the supply chain.”
A positive step in the right direction for SMEs
There is a clear intent from the MOD to improve engagement with SMEs in the defence supply chain and this is evidenced in the document.
The reaction gathered from industry by Defence Online shows that this ambition is welcome, and that SMEs are keen to have their voices heard in shaping the integral part they have to play in the defence supply chain.
If the MOD can deliver on these pledges, it should help ensure it achieves its ambitions on procurement spends and provide economic benefits to SMEs across the UK who engage with the defence marketplace.
DPRTE 2022
Taking place at Farnborough International on May 5th, DPRTE 2022 is the UK’s leading defence procurement and supply chain event.
For all involved within buying for or supplying to the defence sector, it’s an unmissable opportunity to hear from and engage with industry leaders, influencers and stakeholders.
To register today as a delegate, follow this link.
To take advantage of exhibitor or sponsor opportunities, please click here.
Defence Online is the official media partner for DPRTE 2022
If you would like to join our community and read more articles like this then please click here
