According to a recent announcement by Defence Minister Maria Eagle, small British businesses are set to benefit from a significant new agreement designed to enhance the readiness of the UK’s warships and submarines.
The initiative, part of the Marine Systems Transformation (MaST) programme, is aimed at supporting non-combat equipment aboard UK warships and submarines.
The framework, worth up to £850 million over seven years, will open the door for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK to bid for work, potentially driving substantial economic growth say the Ministry of Defence.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the MaST programme covers the delivery of over 180,000 different items, ranging from propulsion systems to galley equipment, ensuring greater access for SMEs to contribute to the defence supply chain.
The MoD highlighted that a significant proportion of these suppliers are based outside the south of England, with many located in the Midlands, the North of England, Scotland, and Wales.
Maria Eagle, Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, emphasised the importance of involving SMEs in maintaining the readiness of the Royal Navy’s fleet: “The spares and repairs that keep our warships submarines at sea are critical, and this agreement will ensure that more British small businesses – from Southampton to Aberdeen – will be at the heart of supporting the Royal Navy.”
She added, “By backing our defence industry, we will keep the nation safe and support more than 200,000 jobs.”
The new agreement, facilitated by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), the MOD’s procurement arm, aims to improve warship and submarine availability through enhanced access to spare parts, both for planned and unplanned maintenance. It also seeks to provide access to specialist equipment-related technical advice and expertise on a global scale, while reducing costs without compromising safety or availability.
Maria Eagle announced the new framework during a visit to Somers Forge in Birmingham, a manufacturer of bespoke naval parts.
Samson Folkes, Managing Director of Somers Forge, commented on the opportunity: “Being selected for the MAST framework represents a huge opportunity for our business. We have been a defence supplier since 1912 and are incredibly proud of our heritage supporting the Royal Navy. For Somers Forge, winning contracts through MAST can help us sustain vital jobs and apprenticeships in the Midlands as well as underpin our growth ambitions.”
Toni Gray, Navy Acquisition, Equipment Support Programmes Director, highlighted the advantages of the MaST frameworks: “The frameworks will widen our market, enable us to contract direct to SMEs, and critically, offer never seen before levels of customer choice to how we sustain our key equipment.”
Dr Simon Dakin, DG – Core at DE&S, also underscored the significance of the new approach: “The MaST frameworks are a game-changer to spares procurement and in service support to Royal Navy warships and submarines. It brings the agility to respond to increasingly uncertain world events and meet a demanding operational schedule while driving value for money in our procurement approach to the goods and services that we just need to deliver repeatably, cost effectively and well.”
Well if this is a sign that the MoD is trying to sort out procurement it is goods news.
Unfortunately, with the entire SSN fleet alongside waiting for maintenance / refits it is starting to look a lot like too little, too late. The SSN submarines are our most capable conventionally armed weapons and they are ALL tied up alongside apparently unable to move because the required dockyard infrastructure upgrades were delayed during austerity…
Peace dividend is starting to look like an almighty huge overdraft on national security.
CR