Following the promotion of Harriett Baldwin MP to a senior position in the Foreign Office, she has been replaced as Minister for Defence Procurement by Guto Bebb, who has been the MP for Aberconwy in North Wales since the 2010 General Election (and has previously served as a junior minister at the Wales Office and as a Government Whip).

Mr Bebb says he arrives at the MoD at a crucial time, as the department wrestles with the challenge of meeting the requirements of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, when budget constraints are putting real pressure on departmental activity.

Mr Bebb will be responsible for delivering the MoD’s ‘refreshed industrial policy’ (launched in December), which aims to put a greater emphasis on recognising the value of investing the defence equipment budget in UK technology, innovation and skills.

On 10 January, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) released an updated commercial strategy, which features a specific focus on increasing supplier numbers and offering greater opportunities to SMEs to provide services direct.

Through its suppliers, the DIO provides infrastructure services to the MoD and each branch of the Armed Forces; it has an annual spend of about £3 billion on construction and infrastructure services.

The strategy sets out a plan for DIO to become easier to do business with and lays out the MoD’s long-term challenges and needs, with a view to better supporting existing and potential suppliers to allow them to meet these needs.