Supplier support and programmes

SMEs are a key part of keeping our supply chain healthy, agile and vibrant. They are essential to the delivery of our programmes and so we offer a range of support to enable them to work well with us. Although SMEs must meet the same minimum standards as our larger suppliers, and must compete on a similar basis, we endeavour to remove barriers to contracting, resulting from SMEs’ limited resources and smaller scale operations. Our Standard Conditions of Purchase and timely payment terms help to streamline routine purchases and are the baseline for more complex commercial arrangements. We promote collaboration with SMEs through ‘Meet the Buyer’ events, technology conferences, supplier forums and supplier portals. We encourage knowledge sharing and invest in high-quality research. In turn, we’ve noticed that such initiatives help fund and support innovative SMEs, allowing them to grow their business.

We foster skills and invest in innovation throughout our supply chain and ensure supplier intellectual property is protected. We work constructively with our suppliers and we aim to remove barriers to trade, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). We invite our suppliers to join our Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) Aerospace & Defence academy training programme (Procurement Developing You).