In a highly volatile, and seemingly complex digital global landscape, actionable and dynamic defence strategies remain an important investment that oversees and ensures the protection of a nation and their civil liberties.
The United Kingdom government, along with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has established a Defence and Security Industrial Strategy that will see the collaboration between industry, academia and public sectors.
Through these partnerships, branches of government, and the wider UK defence sector can effectively drive innovation, conduct compelling research, and further enhance investment in advanced defence technology, machinery, and promote digital progress on a national scale.
These collaborative efforts, along with the investment of public funds ensure that sufficient tender opportunities are created for private industry businesses, that help to meet the needs of the MOD and defence sector.
Why do joint ventures matter in procurement?
International threats are becoming increasingly complex to understand and effectively resolve. This requires the defence sector to continuously develop new tools, methods of understanding, and capabilities to ensure the protection of all British constituents and provide high-quality services that provide value for money.
The defence procurement process enables the government to obtain the necessary products and services, delivered by private entities, adhere to their defence strategies, and align efforts with their forward-looking objectives.
Joint ventures (JV) in the defence sector help to address key issues, and further yield benefits for the MOD, including:
Improved supply chain management
Defence procurement opportunities through MOD contracts and MOD tenders enable the defence sector to establish a supply chain that enables them to access the necessary materials, products and services to meet their objectives.
Increased regulations and compliance
Private sellers that participate in procurement practices are required to provide sufficient information and background that aligns with both procurement and defence sector regulations and compliance. This helps to reduce potential risks but further encourages organisations to structure operations to meet the necessary regulatory standards.
Minimises risk of financial loss
With private defence suppliers, the defence sector ensures that they will receive materials, products and other goods that are of high quality and provide them and British constituents with value for money. This helps to minimise the risk of MOD tenders, such as aerospace contracts or other UK military contracts being awarded to organisations that are unable to pass the vetting process.
Establishes clear roles and responsibilities
Joint ventures through public defence procurement help to create clear roles and responsibilities for both public and private enterprises. This helps to reduce friction between various partners and creates a more accurate system, whereby private sellers provide the defence sector with more innovative infrastructure solutions.
The importance of collaboration in the UK defence sector
The Ministry of Defence has been allocated more than £85 billion to invest over the coming four years, to improve defence equipment and support. Without the necessary guidance, and adequate collaboration, the UK MOD will be unable to deliver a superior, and agile Armed Forces, and defence strategy for the United Kingdom.
Increases technological development
Joint ventures with companies that have years of experience and expertise in speciality industries i.e. cybersecurity, virtual defence systems, aircraft etc., enabled the MOD to tap into these sectors and pool these expertise.
Additionally, the defence industry can rely on private entities that produce high-quality products, and deliver exceptional expertise in defence matters to create a more robust supply chain.
Delivers major defence contracts
The UK MOD regularly awards defence contracts for various defence goods, equipment and services. There has been a sharp increase in defence contracts, blue light contracts, and security tenders.
These and other Ministry of Defence tenders help to create a more dynamic and lucrative marketplace, as it establishes healthy competition among private sellers, and those looking to win new contracts.
Creates business-to-business partnerships
While the defence industry has looked at awarding smaller contracts, such as security guard contracts to smaller, less competitive sellers, new opportunities are now allowing these organisations to partner with larger companies to increase their chances of winning bigger, and more valuable contracts.
Business-to-business partnership helps to create a dynamic private industry that sees the overall improvement of information sharing, and widespread development of advanced products, equipment and service delivery.
Collaboration in research and development
The defence industry is now one of the most complex ecosystems, that requires vast amounts of data and analysis to understand. This has created new opportunities for the defence sector to collaborate with academia and research centres to establish facilities that will help them accelerate their progress.
Additionally, this collaboration enables the defence sector to continuously innovate, improve critical and technical understanding, and develop new defence technologies.
Minimises delays and component shortages
Growing investment in new defence technologies has created a plethora of new job opportunities, however, there has been a shortage of skilled professionals who can fulfil defence industry roles. Without the necessary human capital, the defence sector would be unable to meet its obligations.
A solution to this problem is to provide new contract opportunities to private entities that can help meet the defence industry’s needs. This would help to create a system whereby the defence sector can rely on private enterprises to provide them with the necessary human capital, and trained professionals to operate advanced systems and equipment.
Joint ventures deliver value for money
Public procurement ensures that available and new contracts are awarded to vetted organisations that help to produce highly sophisticated equipment, materials and services. Through these procedures, defence market intelligence enables the industry to access value-for-money equipment that directly meets their needs.
These efforts have helped reduce costs and expenses and further promote a more sophisticated system whereby MOD contracts can be made public to experienced businesses.
Securing defence contracts and tenders
The defence procurement process, while highly important to the defence sector, can be somewhat complex to navigate. The multiple facets of the defence procurement process can be hard, and difficult to understand, and to ensure that your business meets the necessary requirements, before applying for any new defence contract, consider reaching out to a professional team that has years of defence procurement experience.
Defence Contracts International enables business owners to tap into a wealth of procurement knowledge, research competitor bids and analyse procurement trends which can help imrpove their chances to win MOD tenders. These efforts allow a business to create a more dynamic, and competitive procurement assessment that can help them find and form joint ventures and partnerships with the United Kingdom defence industry.
