Bae Systems has been chosen as the preferred supplier for the Analysis for Science & Technology Research in Defence (ASTRID) framework contract.
Awarded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the contract is for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) decision support and will be delivered by Corda, BAE Systems’ analytical consultancy.
The £350m seven-year framework will involve offering diverse decision support and services such as analysis and advisory.
Further, a supplier will be picked by the company from its supply chain of 150 firms to perform analysis and inform decision-making.
BAE’s supply chain includes defence companies, SMEs, consultancies and universities, delivering more than 300 separate analysis activities.
Dstl Divisional Head Rob Solly said: “The ASTRID contract will maintain the provision of high-quality analysis to underpin decisions across MOD and our partners in wider Government.
“It will build on the successful collaborative approach of ASC, providing access to the best talent in the UK and overseas
“We also aim to progressively and significantly exceed the MOD target of awarding 25% of the work to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) including non-traditional defence suppliers.”
Since 2015, BAE Systems has managed framework for defence and security analysis for Dstl. ASTRID is succeeding in the existing flagship framework, the £120m Analysis Support Construct (ASC).
As the successor, ASTRID will continue the supply chain to deliver the services.
The contract will be open to all government departments with defence and security decision support requirements.
BAE Systems CORDA director Suzanne Harrison said: “We are excited to continue in our role as the MoD’s partner of choice for analysis and decision support, working closely with partners across the supplier community to deliver this.
“It has been fantastic under the ASC to see collaborative teams from across industry and government working to deliver essential support to defence and security decision-makers.
“Our approach to ASTRID will build on the many strengths of ASC, while bringing in new innovations to keep improving on the successes of the last five years.”
