Defence Online

Scotland’s Defining Defence Moment: DPRTE Scottish Defence Procurement & Supply Chain Summit 2026

Homeland May 20, 2026

Event Preview | 20 May 2026 | Glasgow Marriott Hotel

With £50 million in new defence investment committed to Scotland and UK defence spending rising at its fastest rate since the Cold War, Scottish industry is facing one of the most significant commercial opportunities in a generation. The DPRTE Scottish Defence Procurement & Supply Chain Summit 2026, taking place today at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel, has been created specifically to help Scottish businesses understand that opportunity and act on it.

Officially supported by ADS Scotland and backed by the Ministry of Defence and UK Defence Innovation as event partners, the one-day summit brings together defence buyers, prime contractors, SMEs, innovators and policy influencers for a concentrated day of strategic insight, direct engagement and practical commercial guidance.

Why This Summit, Why Now

The timing is deliberate. In March 2026 the UK government announced a £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal, accelerating growth across advanced engineering, maritime, shipbuilding, space, quantum and advanced manufacturing. An additional £2.2 billion for the MoD from April 2026 is driving new programmes, supplier requirements and capability demands across the supply chain. The Clyde Transformation Programme alone represents a multi-billion, multi-decade investment in HMNB Clyde, and the Type 26 frigate programme at BAE Systems on the Clyde is one of the most significant shipbuilding programmes in British naval history.

For Scottish businesses, the window to engage early, position capability and build the relationships needed to compete effectively is open now. The summit is designed to help them do exactly that.

The Programme

The day will open with a keynote address by video from Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, followed by a keynote from Calum Taylor, Deputy Head of Growth and Place at the MoD, and an address from Stuart Gallacher, Chairman of ADS Scotland.

The morning session centres on economic growth, with a panel examining defence as an engine for Scottish prosperity. Speakers include Emma Baker of ADS Group, Rhona Allison from Scottish Enterprise, Stewart MacPherson of Thales UK, Brigadier Andrew Muddiman ADC RM as Naval Regional Commander Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Mark Stead, Senior Vice President for Radar and Advanced Targeting at Leonardo. The panel will explore how Scotland’s defence sector can capture a greater share of rising national investment and what that means in practical terms for regional businesses.

The second panel, Prime Contractors: Opening Doors for Scottish SMEs, is one of the most directly useful sessions of the day for businesses looking to enter or expand within the defence supply chain. Speakers include Gareth Hedicker, Chief Operating Officer of Babcock Marine, Andrew Cowie, CEO of Denchi Group, Yan Tiefenbrun, Managing Director of Castle Precision, Coreen McCubbin from the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, and Didde Bjerglund-Martin, Head of JOSCAR at Hellios Information. For any business considering JOSCAR qualification or looking to understand what prime contractors actually need from their suppliers, this session is essential.

The afternoon opens with a skills development session led by Susan Scurlock MBE, Founder and CEO of Primary Engineer, before moving into SME Engagement: Turning Policy into Contracts, featuring Mark Darvill from UK Defence Innovation, Jeremy Wimble of techUK, Leonore Frame from Scottish Enterprise and John MacSween, Managing Director of the Malin Group. This session is focused on the practical mechanics of converting government policy commitments into actual contracts for Scottish businesses.

One of the most anticipated sessions of the day is the Supply Chain Deep Dive on Type 26 Frigates and Scottish Shipbuilding, led by Stuart Justice, Engineering Director at BAE Systems. With the Type 26 programme representing a generational commitment to Scottish shipbuilding and a deep supply chain opportunity across the UK, this is a rare chance to hear directly from the programme’s engineering leadership about what suppliers need to offer and how to get involved.

The day closes with a panel on Dual Use Technology and Emerging Domains covering space, cyber and AI, featuring QinetiQ’s Head of Market Intelligence Iain Kennedy, ScotlandIS CEO Karen Meechan, Professor James Hopgood of the University of Edinburgh and Professor Craig Clark of the University of Strathclyde. With the government’s Defence Industrial Strategy explicitly prioritising emerging technologies and dual-use innovation, this session maps where the next wave of Scottish defence opportunity is forming.

Meet the Buyer

Running throughout the day, structured one-to-one Meet the Buyer sessions give suppliers direct, pre-booked access to prime contractors and Tier 1 organisations. These are not networking conversations, they are focused commercial meetings designed to introduce business,es explore supply chain opportunities and understand what major contractors are actively looking for. Appointments are open to sponsors, exhibitors and registered attendees.

Who Should Be There

The summit is relevant to any Scottish business with capability relevant to defence, whether currently working in the sector or considering it for the first time. It is equally valuable for buyers and primes looking to identify new Scottish suppliers, strengthen regional supply chains and build resilience through more diversified sourcing.

With the MoD, UK Defence Innovation and the Supplier Development Programme all present on the day, the access to decision-makers and programme intelligence available at this event is difficult to replicate through any other route.

Secure Your Place

Don’t worry if you’ve missed out on this inaugaral event. Organisefs have already confirmed it will be back next year! Keep an eye on this space for updates.

Post written by: Vicky Maggiani

Vicky has worked in media for over 25 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.