In brief: Outsourcing defence procurement

The Defence Reform Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech in May 2013 will enable the Ministry of Defence to make radical changes to defence acquisition.

The proposed reforms are significant. The Government wants to change Defence Equipment and Support, the body responsible for procuring and supporting defence equipment, into a Government-owned, Contractor-operated entity, known as a GOCO. This would mean a private sector company would be responsible for managing the UK’s entire defence procurement programme. No other country has dones this.

This note provides a brief overview of the changes proposed.