Defence Acquisition Council clears procurement of 14 items worth over Rs 380 crore from iDEX startups/MSMEs for Armed Forces

In a path-breaking initiative, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, on March 22, 2022, cleared the procurement of 14 items worth Rs 380.43 crore from the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) startups/MSMEs. These items will be procured by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

The DAC also approved the new simplified procedure for procurement from iDEX startups/MSMEs. This would fast-track the procurement from the startups/MSMEs. The procurement cycle from the AON to contract signing will be around 22 weeks as per the new procedure. Suitable incorporation will be made in the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2022. The DAC also approved the simplified procedure for Make-II category projects on similar lines of iDEX procedure and would considerably bring down the time taken from prototype development to Contract signing in Make-II projects.