Tag: procurement
47 articles
Boeing Exits Navy Trainer Jet Competition
Boeing has bowed out of the Navy's Undergraduate Jet Training System competition, citing that its T-7A Red Hawk, designed for the Air Force, doesn't meet the Navy's specific requirements. The company is focusing on delivering solutions that perfectly match its customers' needs.
Britain's Defence Acquisition System Exposes Chronic Flaws
Britain's defence acquisition system is marred by chronic flaws, as seen in the Royal Air Force's Wedgetail aircraft purchase, which was scaled down but still left the country with costly commitments. The buyer's remorse is palpable with lingering obligations and fresh vulnerabilities.
58-hour delay: Stunning £14m fine exposes risky lapse
The ICO fined Capita £14m after a 58‑hour delay in reporting a 2023 breach that exposed 6.6 million records — a stark reminder that slow incident response can magnify harm and erode public trust.
full-lifecycle COTS AI: Stunning, Risk-Reducing Choice
When time, budget and national‑security stakes won’t wait, full‑lifecycle COTS AI lets agencies field proven capabilities fast while offloading sustainment, security and compliance. By cutting delivery time, lowering program risk and offering predictable lifecycle costs, these platforms free teams to focus on mission outcomes instead of reinventing the plumbing.
AI-capable workforce: Stunning Best Practices
At the AIX Summit, technologists, agency leaders and vendors wrestled with the real challenge of scaling AI in government—not just the tools, but the people, policies and protections that make deployments safe and effective. Three practical takeaways emerged—hire hybrid-skilled teams, build layered governance for agentic systems, and make security and workforce resilience non-negotiable—offering an immediate roadmap for moving from pilots to production.
automated number plate recognition: Must-Have or Risky?
The Home Office is exploring a £60m market engagement to build a centralised app that taps the UK’s ANPR network—promising faster alerts and smarter investigations while sparking vital debates about privacy, oversight and security.
Indian suppliers Risky: Stunning Global Breach Threat
A new report shows 53% of Indian vendors suffered third‑party breaches last year, spotlighting how one compromised supplier can cascade into global cyber crises and why supply‑chain security must be a shared priority.
Agentic AI: Must-Have Efficiency, Risky Governance
Overstretched federal IT teams are piloting agentic AI — systems that can take initiative to automate help‑desk tickets, procurement steps and incident response — promising to cut weeks off workflows and free staff for higher‑value work. But those efficiency gains come with real governance, security and accountability questions that agencies must solve before scaling.
ATT&CK Evaluations: Stunning Vendor Exodus Sparks Risk
Three major cybersecurity vendors pulled out of MITRE’s ATT&CK Evaluations over methodology and transparency concerns, leaving buyers with fewer apples‑to‑apples comparisons and prompting a push for clearer, fairer testing. MITRE says it will revise the program — but rebuilding trust will take visible changes and broader industry buy‑in.
cybersecurity executive order: Must-Have Best Guide
The June 6, 2025 cybersecurity executive order sets a clear — and urgent — blueprint for federal CISOs to accelerate zero‑trust, strengthen software supply chains, and tighten incident reporting while juggling legacy systems, budgets and mission continuity. Tune into our podcast briefing for practical steps, expert perspectives, and real-world playbooks to turn the EO from mandate into measurable security.
HMD Secure Stunning EU-Made Phone Best Trusted Choice
HMD Secure’s new Ivalo XE offers governments and security teams a genuinely EU-made handset with supplier-backed security assurances, aiming to simplify procurement while keeping modern mobile features. Just remember: it still leans on global components like Qualcomm, so it’s a pragmatic step toward provenance—not total supply-chain sovereignty.
Huawei in Britain: Stunning, Risky Collapse
Once a telecoms powerhouse, Huawei’s UK revenue has collapsed by about 85% to roughly £188 million since 2019, a stark sign of five years of export controls, political pressure and market retreat. The result is a messy trade‑off: tighter security comes with higher costs, slower upgrades and tougher choices about Britain’s tech future.
move away from Microsoft: Must-Have Best Shift
Would a government serious about frugality really write a £9bn cheque to a single software vendor? A Register poll finds 93% of readers want the UK public sector to move away from defaulting to Microsoft — a clear prompt to rethink procurement, competition and digital independence.
hardware security Must-Have Standards for Best Defense
As global tensions and supply‑chain shocks put chips at the center of national security, SUSHI@NIST is bringing engineers, industry and policy makers together to create measurable standards that make next‑gen hardware verifiably secure. If successful, those standards could turn trust into a testable feature of every device — lowering risk for buyers and raising the bar for attackers.
SBOM minimums Must-Have Best Practices
CISA is revisiting its 2021 SBOM minimums and asking stakeholders for input to strike the right balance between useful, machine-readable inventories that speed vulnerability response and safeguards that prevent sensitive detail from aiding attackers. The update could nudge industry toward interoperable, automatable SBOMs while building practical options for protecting proprietary or security-sensitive information.
end-of-life Cisco Risky Nightmare: Must-Have Fix
The FBI says Russian-linked hackers used a seven‑year‑old, unpatched Cisco flaw to steal router and switch configurations from thousands of systems—giving attackers maps, credentials and direct access to critical infrastructure. If you’re still running legacy kit, now’s the time to inventory, isolate, and prioritize replacements or strict compensating controls.
sovereign cloud: Must-Have Trust for Best Security
As AI assistants surge, customers are asking Google for clear, enforceable data boundaries—sovereign cloud controls that let teams harness generative AI while keeping compliance, privacy, and competitive secrets intact.
open source alternatives: Must-Have Best Path for UK
Should the UK lock in a £9bn deal with Microsoft or reinvest that money into open-source options that could boost resilience, competition and the domestic tech sector — even if transitions carry costs and risks? A pragmatic path of pilots, open standards and skills investment could protect services, cut long-term costs and reclaim digital sovereignty.
Microsoft licences: Must-Have or Risky Monopoly?
Before ditching Microsoft for open‑source ideals, the government should weigh eye‑watering licence bills against the real costs of migration — disruption, retraining and complex integrations. A smarter, phased approach with firmer procurement, open standards and targeted investment could cut dependence without risking services or taxpayers.
Russias drone sector: Stunning, Risky Expansion
Russia’s drone industry has surged from prototypes to mass-produced battlefield systems by prioritizing simple, low-cost designs and decentralized manufacturing. That rapid, pragmatic growth is forcing Kyiv, Washington and NATO to rethink sanctions, air defenses and how to counter cheap, attritable aerial threats.
Amazon-like online marketplace: Must-Have Game-Changer
Imagine soldiers ordering vetted drones as easily as parents buy toys—scrolling specs, reading reviews, and getting gear to the unit in days instead of months. The Army’s new Amazon-like UAS marketplace aims to speed fielding and widen vendor access, while tackling the security, sustainment, and oversight challenges that come with buying fast.
Amazon-like online marketplace: Must-Have, Risky Move
Imagine ordering a vetted drone as easily as clicking “add to cart”—the Army’s new Amazon‑style marketplace aims to get proven UAS into soldiers’ hands fast while balancing security, supply‑chain and oversight risks that won’t come free.
corruption arrests: Stunning Risks to Russia’s Defense
When the machines meant to protect a country are compromised, arrests at Kurgan’s AO Kurganmashzavod — including a former metals chief — raise alarm that corruption could slow production, degrade armor quality and put soldiers at risk. As investigators probe, the case highlights systemic weaknesses in Russia’s defense supply chain that could have far-reaching consequences.
UK-made Boxer: Stunning Boost or Risky Gamble
Britain’s first home-built Boxer rolling into service is a proud milestone — a boost for jobs and sovereign capability that could transform how the Army moves and fights. If industry and integration hold up, this Telford-made vehicle could signal real operational and strategic gains; if not, it’ll be an expensive lesson in procurement risk.