Defence Procurement, Research, Technology & Exportability (DPRTE) 2014 will take place at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on 8 October. At the focal point of the conference floor will be the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Procurement Pavilion; a space where staff will meet industry representatives, showcase the reformed DE&S structure and explain how the Ministry of Defence’s bespoke trading entity aims to improve the defence supply chain.

With an operational budget of £14 billion, DE&S equips and supports the UK’s Armed Forces for current and future operations. It boasts over 12,500 civilian and military staff based in Abbey Wood, Bristol and supports through life, including disposal, equipment and services ranging from ships, aircraft, vehicles and weapons to electronic systems and information systems.

DE&S’s new structure was first outlined in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. This set out the Government’s vision of a new Armed Forces designed to face the challenges of the 21st century.

To do this, the MOD updated the DE&S business plan. It first tackled the £38 billion defence overspend, which was balanced with over £4 billion of centrally held contingency funds. MOD investment approval was further formalised, with funding only being committed when project proposals were finalised. This meant DE&S would no longer be undermined by overspend. Building upon this, the Government then further increased interface between DE&S and its MOD customers.

With the DE&S business plan improved, the Government began improving the organisation’s business skills, appointing Bernard Gray as Chief of Defence Materiel in December 2010 and, recently, Paul Skinner as Chairman. Mr Skinner will act as an independent chair, working alongside Mr Gray who will be the Accounting Officer, accountable to Parliament for the future performance of the organisation.

The Government further broadened DE&S’s skills pool by giving it freedom to shape its workforce and to engage with the private sector, through its Materiel Strategy. This involved setting up DE&S as a commercially focused central government trading entity, from April 2014.

This reform allows DE&S freedoms and flexibilities, agreed with the Treasury and Cabinet Office, around how it recruits, rewards, retains and manages staff along more commercial lines. DE&S can now procure crucial private sector input through a series of support contracts, deliver key changes and strengthen programme management by cutting red tape.

For further information on these reforms and more, visit the DE&S Procurement Pavilion at DPRTE.

For all exhibition and sponsorship enquiries call 0845 270 7066 or email exhibitions@dprte.co.uk