Being part of a defence supply chain brings real opportunities. Long-term contracts and collaboration, and the chance to grow your capability alongside an experienced partner. We recognise that the defence sector is a highly regulated environment to operate in. We are committed to supporting SMES and making it easier to access defence programme opportunities.
If you are an SME hoping to work in defence, join us at our upcoming webinar series this autumn. Held in partnership with Make UK Defence, each session will focus on introducing our company and key 'fit for business' requirements for potential SME suppliers. Register your interest by contacting us.
Meet the buyer events offer the opportunity for SMEs to showcase their products and services to our procurement teams. These sessions are practical and informal. You can ask questions and understand our current areas of interest. We participate in events both in person and online, often organised by key trade organisations. We will share details of upcoming meet the buyer events here but in the meantime, please contact us to register your interest.
Be the Business
Be the Business provides free guidance, practical tools and tailored support to engineering and manufacturing SMEs, helping them improve productivity and resilience and prepare for future growth. Through our partnership with Be the Business, we have been able to offer 85 places on their Productivity Programme to our SME suppliers. We have also supported SMEs outside our supply chain. 500+ of our employees have delivered 9,000+ hours of mentoring and advisory board support to 500+ SMEs.
If you are a current BAE Systems SME supplier, read below about the mentoring and support available through the Be the Business Productivity Programme. We currently have 35 places available for our SME suppliers.
Read below about the mentoring and support available through the Be the Business Productivity Programme. We currently have 35 places available for our SME suppliers.
SMEs that we are not currently working with can find out more about available support from Be the Business.
Fit for business
We recognise that working with a large and complex business like ours comes with a wide range of requirements. Some of our key “fit for business” requirements are listed below. Note that this is not an exhaustive list as specific additional requirements may exist, depending on specific products, services, programmes or businesses you may wish to work with.
Areas of interest
Where possible, we maintain a list of our current areas of interest. We will progress conversations with prospective suppliers based on this list and our specific requirements.
Supplier code of conduct
We expect suppliers to have read our supplier code of conduct and advise us promptly of any reason that would prevent them from working to any of the principles outlined in the document.
Compliance information
We expect suppliers to provide and maintain relevant, accurate and timely information related to performance and compliance. The majority of our UK businesses use the Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register (JOSCAR).
Standard conditions of purchase
Our UK standard conditions of purchase are available below. Depending on the product or service supplied and the programme supplied to, there may be other applicable terms, conditions, certifications and compliance standards required.
Financial health
Due diligence is undertaken for all parties with whom we engage, including our suppliers and includes an assessment of financial stability and any associated risks.
Reputational risk
As part of our due dilligence process, we screen potential suppliers against denied party and sanctions listings and review any identified adverse media coverage.
Safety and quality standards
Our suppliers must clearly demonstrate oversight and proper management of product and personnel safety, as well as business and product quality. ISO9001 (Quality Assurance) and ISO45001 (Occupational Health and Safety) may be a key consideration for certain scopes of supply.
Standards of security
Working with us requires a heightened level of security awareness and control. Personnel vetting, site security and standards of cyber security accreditation will be considered based on the products and services being supplied. All suppliers are encouraged to ensure that they are resilient to both physical and cyber intrusion.
Trade controls and sanctions
We expect all suppliers to conduct business in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations governing export, re-export, transfer and import of controlled hardware, technical data, software and services. This includes obtaining and being compliant with any and all export control authorisations. We also expect our suppliers to screen third parties with whom they do business and to be fully compliant with all relevant financial sanctions, trade embargoes and other restrictive measures imposed by any applicable government authority.
Labour standards and human rights
We expect all suppliers to comply with all applicable laws relating to human rights and modern slavery and to uphold and protect human rights by treating their own employees with respect, promoting fair employment practices, providing fair and competitive wages and prohibiting harassment, bullying, discrimination, retaliation, modern slavery and human trafficking, as well as undertaking appropriate due diligence to identify such human rights risks, supported by systems and processes to minimise the risk of such abuses occurring. These are a fundamental part of our supplier code of conduct.
We recognise that SMEs may need additional support to meet the requirements that underpin being a 'fit for defence' business. We work alongside a number of partners to provide this.
Make UK Defence is a national not-for-profit, member owned defence trade association, part of Make UK – the manufacturers’ organisation. We champion and support the UK’s innovative and diverse defence manufacturers and the wider defence supply chain.
ADS is the UK trade association advancing leadership in aerospace, defence, security and space, to enable prosperity and clean, secure growth for our nation.
Hellios JOSCAR aims to be a user-friendly platform which gathers important supply chain information, tailored for the defence, aerospace and security industry.
Contact the team
For general questions or enquiries (not related to expressions of interest), please use the link above to contact the team. All enquiries related specifically to working with BAE Systems should be directed via the expression of interest link on the areas of interest page.