Royal Navy: MoD announces game-changing £850m deal to keep warships and submarines ready for deployment

An £850m deal has been struck between the government body and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) across the UK. Under the seven-year framework, this will allow them to bid for work and help keep the fleet fully supplied and operationally ready. Items include spare parts for warships and submarines.

Maria Eagle, minister for defence procurement and industry, said: “The spares and repairs that keep our warships submarines at sea are critical, and this agreement will ensure that more British small businesses – from Southampton to Aberdeen - will be at the heart of supporting the Royal Navy. By backing our defence industry, we will keep the nation safe and support more than 200,000 jobs.”

Parts will be delivered under the Marine Systems Transformation (MaST) programme. Non-combat equipment covering 180,000 items will be sought, from propulsion systems to galley equipment. The MoD said between suppliers will be based in the south of the England, as well as the north and the Midlands, Scotland and Wales.

A total of 39 companies will make bids through Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) - the MoD’s procurement arm. The government body said greater warship and submarines readiness - how capable they are of going on deployments - will be delivered through improved access to spare parts for planned and unplanned maintenance, access to specialist equipment-related technical advice and expertise globally and reduced costs without compromising safety.

The agreement was announced after Ms Eagle visited Somers Forge in Birmingham. The company manufactures bespoke naval parts. Managing director Simon Folkes said: “Being selected for the MaST framework represents a huge opportunity for our business. We have been a defence supplier since 1912 and are incredibly proud of our heritage supporting the Royal Navy. For Somers Forge, winning contracts through MAST can help us sustain vital jobs and apprenticeships in the Midlands as well as underpin our growth ambitions.”

Toni Gray, navy acquisition, equipment support programmes director, said “vital spares, repairs and post design services” will be continually delivered through the framework. She added: “The frameworks will widen our market, enable us to contract direct to SMEs, and critically, offer never seen before levels of customer choice to how we sustain our key equipment’s.”

Dr Simon Dakin, DG – Core at DE&S, said: “The MaST frameworks are a game-changer to spares procurement and in service support to Royal Navy warships and submarines. It brings the agility to respond to increasingly uncertain world events and meet a demanding operational schedule while driving value for money in our procurement approach to the goods and services that we just need to deliver repeatably, cost effectively and well.”