The Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) Business Access Offices (BAO’s); have rolled out a series of Defence Awareness Briefings across metropolitan and major regional centres around Australia, with the support of local Regional Development Boards, State Governments and other Defence groups.

These briefings have been designed to inform companies who may never have thought about doing business with Defence that we have opportunities for Australian companies to play a part in the Defence supply chain. A number of briefings have been held to date and feedback from industry and state stakeholders has been extremely positive. By years end, sessions will have been conducted in most of Australia's major regional centres.

Attendees learn where Defence and the DMO sit within the Federal Government, the basics of Government Procurement, the best ways to engage with Defence and how to prepare their companies to take advantage of potential business opportunities. We also talk about the various assistance programs, industry associations and Government Departments who can help companies looking to work in the Defence space.

The briefings also allow the DMO BAO’s to gauge regional industrial capabilities that have the capacity to support Defence. As a result of these sessions, companies are registering their capabilities on D+I ePortal, and many are now bidding for work either directly with Defence or through the Defence supply chain.

For more information phone 1800 621 783 or download the BAO brochure at www.defence.gov.au/dmo/id/publications/dmobao_Feb09.pdf