DIO currently spends around £3b each year buying infrastructure services to enable the men and women of defence to live, work, train and deploy across the UK and overseas.
The strategy, which has been developed in consultation with industry partners, aims to transform the way DIO does business. It provides information on the types of opportunities available to prospective suppliers and outlines plans to create and sustain a competitive market.
Central to the strategy is the importance of a broad and more diverse supply base which increases value back to the taxpayer by generating wider competition. DIO aims to increase supplier numbers and create a genuinely competitive supply base which offers greater opportunities to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as larger suppliers.
As a main infrastructure client, DIO will engage with industry by sharing pipeline information well in advance of planned procurements to help shape the market, drive innovation and invigorate and maintain a diverse portfolio of suppliers. In turn this will support economic growth nationally and in the regions by giving businesses certainty to recruit and retain staff.