UK strives to solve disconnect with SMEs
Jeremy Quin (right of picture) claimed that a new action plan would ‘reduce barriers’ faced by SMEs in dealing with the MoD and prime contractors. (Photo: MoD/Crown Copyright)
The latest UK action plan for better engagement with SMEs appears to be an attempt to build better relationships between the MoD, prime contractors and the defence supply chain — but how will theory translate into practice?
The UK government has set a target that by 2022, £1 in every £3 it spends will reach SMEs directly or via the supply chain — and the MoD is no exception.
On 28 January, defence procurement minister Jeremy Quinn officially launched a new action plan to improve the way that the MoD does business with SMEs.
He claimed the plan would ‘increase engagement with the SME sector, and reduce barriers to better utilise the expertise and innovation these organisations offer’ in the context of three major policy announcements in 2021: the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, Integrated
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