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Why Early Engagement and Agility are Key in Defence Procurement In my latest blog post, I explore the insights from the recent Defence + Industry Conference, highlighting why early industry engagement and flexible strategies are critical for success in Defence infrastructure projects. If you're involved in Defence projects or planning to be, understanding these dynamics is essential. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g8--Nwdy #DefenceInfrastructure #IndustryEngagement #DefenceProcurement #DECnet #DefenceAustralia #DefenceEstate

The European Commission allocated the €500 million foreseen under the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP). This will allow the European defence industry to ramp up its ammunition production capacity to 2 million shells per year by the end of 2025. The Commission also launched the Work Programme for the instrument for the reinforcement of the European defence industry through common procurement (EDIRPA) and the fourth annual Work Programme of the European Defence Fund (EDF). Together, these programmes have a budget of almost €2 billion. Today’s steps towards the reinforcement of the European defence technological and industrial base are taken in the wake of the adoption of the first ever European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the associated proposal for a European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP). Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dyfubtQz #EUdefence #EU #Europe #EuropeanUnion #defence #industry #ammunition #production #ASAP #cooperation

The significant push in #Europe to enhance ammunition production and strengthen defense industrial capacity, aimed at deterring #Russia 🇷🇺 and supporting #Ukraine 🇺🇦 , is indeed a pivotal move. One might wonder why this initiative has taken so long to materialize. It's crucial that these efforts come to fruition promptly, before the conflict intensifies further.

🚀 Join us for our webinar: Doing Business in Defence on 28th November 2023 at 1300 GMT with John Kite, Head of Strategic Supplier Management at the UK Ministry of Defence.   Don’t miss out on this opportunity to contribute to the conversation and discover answers to critical questions in the defence sector: 🤔 What 3 key things are changing in the revised MoD procurement policy to make SMEs more able to support Defence? 🧩 How can MOD break their requirements down so SME's can see the lower level requirements?   📅 Mark Your Calendar: 28th November 2023, 1300 GMT ⏰ Register by 1700 GMT, 24th November 2023   For more details and registration, visit: https://lnkd.in/eWrvmmWn   #DefenceIndustry #Webinar #MOD #SMEs #BusinessOpportunities #BusinessDevelopment #SupplyChain #DefenceProcurement #Defence #Defene #DefenceEngage 

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge, delivered a speech on procurement reforms at the UK Strategic Command Annual Conference in London. "The challenge here is that when financial pressures arise, it becomes hard to deliver affordability, with the unintended and inadvertent consequence that results in single service competition, seeking to get programmes on contract, knowing that funding is constrained. This is what we call over-programming. It is, dare I say, the bête noire, of our procurement system, and is typically addressed by the very outcome we want to avoid, delay as programmes are inevitably shifted to the right. So I set out and intend to deliver a more integrated approach. In my speech, I gave a very specific example of where this was already happening. And I quote, “a key example will be our pending munition strategy, a top priority given our need to replenish weapons stocks to warfighting levels, pan-defence prioritisation of munitions procurement will not only be driven by the hard reality of the greatest threats we face, but the scale of demand seeking required for always on production, the optimal outcome for both military and industry.” So for those who are sceptical about our procurement reforms making an actual difference, fast forward to this week, and the Prime Minister confirm that our move to 2.5% on defence would enable an additional £10 billion over 10 years for munitions strategy, delivering the very always on production that I promised."

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge, delivered a speech on procurement reforms at the UK Strategic Command Annual Conference in London. "The challenge here is that when financial pressures arise, it becomes hard to deliver affordability, with the unintended and inadvertent consequence that results in single service competition, seeking to get programmes on contract, knowing that funding is constrained. This is what we call over-programming. It is, dare I say, the bête noire, of our procurement system, and is typically addressed by the very outcome we want to avoid, delay as programmes are inevitably shifted to the right. So I set out and intend to deliver a more integrated approach. In my speech, I gave a very specific example of where this was already happening. And I quote, “a key example will be our pending munition strategy, a top priority given our need to replenish weapons stocks to warfighting levels, pan-defence prioritisation of munitions procurement will not only be driven by the hard reality of the greatest threats we face, but the scale of demand seeking required for always on production, the optimal outcome for both military and industry.” So for those who are sceptical about our procurement reforms making an actual difference, fast forward to this week, and the Prime Minister confirm that our move to 2.5% on defence would enable an additional £10 billion over 10 years for munitions strategy, delivering the very always on production that I promised. "

There is no shortage of commitments from both sides of politics for Defence to get behind industry as a pillar of national security, and from the government, a new Defence Industry Development Strategy. In this edited extract from a speech delivered to the Illawarra Shoalhaven industry development conference, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy lays out the government’s plans. #defence #defenceindustry Defence Australia #auspol

The DSR was initially announced in early August 2022, with the effects seen immediately in the six-month moving average. Where the previous three years had increased the average tenders around this time of year, there was instead a year-long period of decline, a steady drop that only stabilised towards the end of 2023. Prior to the commissioning of the DSR, end of year peaks were nearing 70 tenders per month, with 62 in November 2019, 58 in November 2020, and 67 in November of 2021. This compared to only 28 Defence tenders released in November 2022, and 34 in November 2023, halving the rate of previous years. To put this in perspective, there are close to 3000 companies in Australia with defence-related capability. Many hands in an increasingly small pot does not bode well for domestic opportunities. It will be interesting to see whether the released tenders stabilise at this reduced trend or creep back up to the pre-DSR average cycle through the 2024 period and beyond. https://lnkd.in/gSV3B3zH

The connected battlefield of the future is in the news — but there are questions about the readiness of defense forces worldwide. Force connectivity is now a major focus for militaries across the globe, enabled by the arrival in theater of expanding technology. As asset connectivity increases, we can start to see the foundations of a truly connected battlefield — not just on the ground, in the air, or at sea, but also in space. Check out IFS latest feature in Defence Procurement International to get the latest on the connected battlefield of the future and the technologies making it a reality: https://ifs.link/2NLvKX #ConnectedBattlefield #AerospaceandDefense

📰 DE&S identify problems in defence-wide procurement processes "ADefence Equipment & Support (DE&S) review found systemic issues in defence-wide UK military procurement and DE&S internal challenges, it was revealed at the Defence Simulation Education and Training (DSET) conference in 2024, which took place between 10-13 June." #ProcurementPeople #ExecutiveSearch #Procurement #DefenceProcurement