How the Indian Army’s Procurement Structure Works

In Episode 10 of Defence Procurement, we take the next step:

If someone in the Army wants your product, who actually takes the requirement forward — and who can buy it?

This is where the Army’s organisational structure becomes important.

The episode explains why companies should first identify the operational problem, then determine which arm or service owns that problem, and then understand the role of the relevant line directorate.

From there, the pathway can differ depending on whether the requirement is moving through the capital and capability-development ecosystem or the revenue and sustainment ecosystem. The episode also explains why some revenue requirements can potentially be handled through commands or other authorities exercising delegated financial powers.

Using the example of drones, the episode demonstrates why asking “Who buys drones in the Army?” is the wrong question.

The better questions are:

What operational role is the drone intended to perform?

For whom?

Which arm or service owns that requirement?

Which line directorate provides the domain anchor?

And is the requirement moving through the capital or revenue ecosystem?

The same broad technology can therefore follow very different organisational pathways depending on the requirement.