Understanding India’s Defence Procurement Ecosystem

The government’s focus on achieving self-reliance in the defence sector under the Make in India initiative means business opportunities for start-ups, small enterprises and the private industry alike. But understanding what the military needs and how the procurement system works is a challenge for companies eyeing this sector.

To help understand how the system works, Bharat Shakti has begun a series featuring Brigadier Narendra Pratap Singh (Retd), who was Director of Artificial Intelligence in the Indian Army.

‘No Single Customer’

Singh, who has more than three decades of experience in defence procurement, says vendors need to understand that there’s no ‘single customer’ in the Army. The Army has different branches and each has distinct requirements, he told Bharat Shakti Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale. So companies need to identify the right user and approach it rather than treating the Army as a single entity, he added.

Operational Needs

What the military procures is purely driven by its operational requirements. A product may be technologically advanced but still unsuitable if it does not meet specific operational requirements and military specifications, says Singh.

Priorities Change

An important factor in procurement is product prioritisation. Operational developments, lessons from recent conflicts, budgets and long-term military plans can change the priority given to equipment. To drive home his point, Singh cited Operation Sindoor which brought the spotlight on unmanned and counter-unmanned systems.

Tune in to this engaging conversation to get an idea of how to navigate the complex defence procurement ecosystem.