Main headlines from this issue

Oman gives its offset agency a short, sharp shock

Oman’s offset policy may, or may not, be gone. Royal Decree 110 of 2020, issued without warning, has “cancelled” the Public Authority for Privatisation and Partnership (PAPP). The decree did away with the PAPP’s Board of Directors and transferred its assets to the Ministry of Finance as of August 18, the day of publication. Oman also reshuffled the cabinet on August 18, appointing Sultan bin Salem bin Saeed Al Habsi Minister of Finance.

Revised Australian procurement rules require assessment of “economic benefits” in procurements

The Australian Department of Finance has released an update to the Commonwealth Procurement Rules introduced in 2017. The rules now require the government to consider broader domestic economic benefits in all government procurements, commercial and defence. Officials will need to gather information on economic benefits as part of the decision-making process and document how the economic benefit has been considered as part of the overall value-for-money evaluation.

Annual BIS offset report - only eight non-EU countries demanded offsets in 2018; EU obligations mount; directs beat indirects

The 24th Annual Report to Congress on the impact of offsets in the defence trade shows that the total volume of offsets involving U.S. defence companies during 2018 increased significantly. The number of offset contracts and transactions, however, declined.

Australia releases next SICP implementation plan

The Australian Department of Defence has detailed the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority Implementation Plan for Land Combat and Protected Vehicles. The plan contains a new set of Critical Industrial Capabilities which must be included in the Australian Industry Capability (AIC) program.

ISED Canada is managing 101 industrial and technological benefit projects

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada’s 2020 Annual Report states that the country has 101 active Industrial and Technological Benefit projects. Prime contractors have yet to identify CAD$ 5.3bn in the value of obligations.