Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) is responsible for equipping and supporting the UK’s Armed Forces. The Government turned DE&S into a bespoke trading entity on 1 April 2014. This means it is now an arm’s length body of the Ministry of Defence.

Transforming DE&S is one of the major reforms currently underway within the Ministry of Defence in a bid to resolve the significant problems in the defence procurement system.

This note examines the new trading entity status of DE&S. A Framework Document and a Corporate Plan were published in mid-May on the eve of prorogation. It also tracks the development of the original Government-owned, Contractor-Operated proposal though to its abandonment at the end of 2013.