Boeing has hosted its inaugural Australian Effective Bid Training Workshop to help Australian small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) secure more contracts within the defence sector. The virtual workshop was delivered to 78 attendees from 49 SMEs – including Indigenous, veteran, women and disability-owned businesses – by Boeing subject matter experts in Australia and the US. Attendees who took part in the full four-day program engaged in a hands-on bid development exercise and gained insights into Boeing’s source selection and bid process.
In 2019, Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) engaged more than 250 SMEs and its Australian content spend was more than A$190 million – reflecting the vital importance of these enterprises to Boeing’s success in Australia. In addition, Boeing’s Office of Australian Industry Capability has generated more than A$600 million in exports for Australian SMEs, over the life of the Global Supply Chain Program.
“Supporting the growth and success of Australian SMEs, and increasing the number of them in our local and global supply chains, is crucial to our supply chain strategy and to the success of Boeing,” said Nick Gothard, BDA director of Supply Chain Management. “Ensuring we included Indigenous, veteran, women and disability-owned SMEs in this workshop was key to assisting diverse enterprises to be able to compete for business and enter our supply chain. We benefit tremendously from the knowledge and agility of our SME supply chain partners.”
Michael Quinn, Hosico Engineering Group CEO, said his Melbourne-based SME gained great value from the bid training workshop. The company is a world-leading, integrated provider of manufacturing solutions for defence, aerospace, medical and technology customers in Australia and internationally. “We learned a lot over the four-day course, particularly in relation to Boeing’s expectations and requirements for request for proposals,” Quinn said. “We’re sure this invaluable training will hold us in good stead as we strive to do more work for Boeing.”
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