The Department of Defence will establish a new technology program this year to help map its global manufacturing supply chains.
The department is paying global consultancy Deloitte $660,000 for eight-months work on the program, and revealed the first public details in its new whole-of-Defence data strategy.
The strategy, released this week to promote more and better use of data in decision making and policy advice across Defence, said a Defence Supply Network Analysis Program (SNAP) will be delivered by the end of 2021 to enhance already underway work on supply chain analysis.
“The Program will use Open-Source intelligence data collection, accelerated by machine learning and data-driven analytics, to map and identify opportunities and potential risk exposures in our supply networks,” the strategy paper said.
SNAP is touted as a way to provide data on supply chain cost, security, integrity, and risks, as well as enabling targeted analysis and a better understanding of the capabilities of local industry, which want a bigger piece of the huge Defence procurement pie.
Defence wants a clearer picture to ensure a continuity of supply, following warnings in last years Defence Update that Australia’s security and geostrategic environment had deteriorated.
The Department of Defence has a dedicated Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group to meet supply requirements of the Australian Defence Force.
According to the new data strategy, the group has recognised the need for Defence to “move away from using data as a rear-view mirror and towards integrating analytics directly into our daily decision-making”.
SNAP will also be used to monitor supply chains across multiple tiers, according to the data strategy.
“By doing so, Defence will be better equipped to understand the specific risk lens that apply to our supply networks – be it financial, operational or geopolitical – and actively monitor red flags as they arise in real-time,” it said.
Tender documents published last month show Deloitte will be paid $662,409 for work on SNAP from June to February. The global consultancy has been handed more than $52 million worth of contracts by the Department of Defence already in 2021.
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