FOR RELEASE, 8 OCTOBER 2021
“RISC is sad to hear of the death of James Brokenshire, who will be remembered across the UK security community for his support, commitment and service as Minister for Security. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
If you would like to make a donation to pay tribute to James’s lifetime of public service please visit here, which is fundraising for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) Review
In March 2021 the Government published the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS). RISC believes that the DSIS offers an opportunity to strengthen the strategic collaboration between the UK’s security and resilience sector and the Government in support of the UK’s national security and prosperity.
Importantly, the DSIS confirmed the proposals agreed between RISC and the Home Office to enhance the Security and Resilience Growth Partnership (SRGP), so that it can become the focal point for engagement between security-related government departments, the private sector and academia.
Security and Resilience Growth Partnership
Alongside the Minister for Security and Borders, the Chair of RISC co-chairs the Security and Resilience Growth Partnership (SRGP), which meets at least three times a year as the UK’s primary strategic forum designed to shape and oversee the activity of government-industrial cooperation on security issues. Through the SRGP RISC also continues to oversee the activities of JSaRC.
Photo of the Minister for Security and Borders, the Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP [left]; Jon Gray, RISC Secretary and ADS Director of Security and Resilience [centre]; and Nathan Mathiot, RISC Policy Advisor and ADS Senior Policy Advisor for Security and Resilience at ISE 2021.
RISC’s policy priorities
RISC represents the views of the UK’s security and resilience sector to policymakers and has an active programme of policy work to support this. Under the chairmanship of Sir Kevin Tebbit (2018-2021), it conducted a review of the engagement between the UK’s security and resilience sector and the Government, split into four policy areas:
– Procurement
– Exports
– Innovation
– Skills
A copy of this review is available on request but initial details on RISC’s policy priorities are available below.
Procurement
Following its ‘stocktake’ of engagement, RISC has been engaged in a joint programme of work with the Joint Security and Resilience Centre (JSaRC) on the security procurement landscape. RISC and JSaRC are working together, in partnership with the Crown Commercial Service and Home Office Commercial, to ensure that security industry SMEs have full awareness of existing guidance on accessing public procurement and to help make sure security industry SMEs are best positioned to be successful in their tenders.
In support of this, RISC has produced a guidance note on Home Office procurement with the assistance of JSaRC. This is available to the whole UK security and resilience suppliers’ community and it can be found below:
RISC guidance note on Home Office procurement, March 2020
More recently, RISC has engaged with the Cabinet Office on the Government’s Green Paper on Transforming Public Procurement and with Home Office Commercial on the Social Value agenda.
Exports
RISC has worked closely with the Department for International Trade’s UK Defence and Security Exports (UKDSE) to deliver key objectives from the UK Security Export Strategy and UKDSE’s Bounce Back Plan, following the signing of a Collaborative Agreement with the Secretary of State for International Trade at Security and Policing 2019. This work is taken forward by the RISC International working group, which is composed of the RISC’s founding members, UKDSE, and a wider network of partners.
Innovation and Skills
RISC’s key policy priority for innovation is to push for a whole-of-Government approach, breaking down departmental barriers and involving industry at the earliest possible stage to produce optimum public policy outcomes, all in line with the Government’s ‘Fusion Doctrine’ of the National Security Capability Review 2018. As part of this, RISC engages closely both with JSaRC and the National Security and Technology Innovation Exchange (NSTIx).
With regard to skills policy, RISC is in discussion with other industry partners about pioneering new skills initiatives and a new national skills plan.
To learn more about the work and priorities of RISC, please contact Nathan Mathiot (E. nathan.mathiot@adsgroup.org.uk) and Jon Gray (E. jon.gray@adsgroup.org.uk)
