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A distinguished panel of speakers has drawn considerable interest in the inaugural Defence Connect AIC Summit 2022, and is available via livestream broadcast after the in-person event sold out.
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Defence Connect’s Australian Industry Capability (AIC) Summit 2022 will take place on Wednesday, 2 February 2022, with stakeholders given the option to attend in-person or tune in to the livestream broadcast.
Over 930 delegates have signed up to join the livestream event while over 200 delegates will attend in-person to hear from a distinguished list of speakers and connect with their peers in the industry.
The inaugural summit – which was postponed due to COVID-19 related restrictions and lockdowns – is aimed at supporting the Commonwealth government’s ongoing efforts to build Australia’s sovereign production, defence capability, and resilience by providing businesses with the knowledge and strategies to capitalise on $270 billion in defence contracts over the next decade.
The event aims to enhance the partnership between defence and industry, while empowering the industry with business intelligence and networking to shape engagement with key defence personnel and colleagues.
This is especially timely in view of the federal government announcing a proposal late last year to implement “significant improvements” to the AIC program to boost the contribution of local industry in defence decision-making.
The changes include replacing the “one-size-fits-all” approach for acquisition and sustainment contracting templates with a more “scalable approach”, aimed at better aligning the unique elements of each procurement.
The government is aiming to improve AIC to increase Australia’s sovereign production, defence capability and resilience.
As businesses face costs, complexities, and other challenges to succeed in the defence supply chain, the 2022 summit will seek to better inform businesses, and help drive greater collaboration between the Commonwealth, primes, and small-to-medium enterprises (SME), and increase understanding of the realities of working in the domestic supply chain.
The event will focus on the processes and expectations the defence department places on the industry and what SMEs could do to differentiate themselves when participating in tender processes and engaging with primes in supply chain contests.
Key speakers include Dr Peter Sawczak, first assistant secretary defence industry policy, Australian Department of Defence, Francesca Rush, chief counsel, commercial at the Australian Department of Defence, and Major General Andrew Bottrell from the Head Land Systems division at Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, among others.
“After a difficult six months of lockdowns and uncertainty, Defence Connect is proud to announce that the inaugural Defence Connect AIC Summit will be held in person and online to deliver expert supply chain guidance, tender advice and networking opportunities to industry professionals Australia-wide,” Liam Garman, editor defence and security at Momentum Media, said.
“The AIC Summit was developed following extensive feedback from defence industry professionals concerning the costs and complexities of the defence industry supply chain.
“Throughout the summit, attendees will hear from expert panels regarding Australia’s sovereign defence industry and overcoming supply chain obstacles. Professionals from across the industry will gain insight into developing cutting-edge applications for the hotly contested defence tender process.”
The agenda includes expert panel and Q&A presentations and networking sessions, along with complimentary lunch and drinks.
Defence Connect wishes to thank the summit’s principal partner Saab Australia, as well as platinum partners archTIS, Downer and Nova Systems for supporting the Defence Connect AIC Summit.
To register for the event, visit the Defence Connect AIC Summit 2022 website.
