I need to submit a report and want to check if it will be compliant
Information on how to submit reports
The statutory requirements for contract and supplier reporting are established through the Defence Reform Act 2014 (the Act) and defined in the Single Source Contract Regulations 2014 (the Regulations).
The Defence Contract Analysis and Reporting System (DefCARS) is an online, web-enabled system which facilitates submission of statutory reports to the SSRO and the MOD.
There are two types of reports which are submitted to the MOD and the SSRO. Contractors with qualifying contracts submit a set of reports for those contracts. Certain contractors who have contracts above a financial threshold of £50m are also required to submit supplier reports about their costs.
The first contract reports are due for submission within one month of a qualifying contract being entered into. DefCARS enables contractors to develop draft reports for potential contracts and discuss them with the MOD before the contracts are entered into and reports formally submitted.
The SSRO can:
- assist contractors to submit reports required under the regulatory framework and apply the SSRO’s guidance; and
- help the MOD and contractors to use the Defence Contract Analysis and Reporting System (DefCARS).
DefCARS training
We run bespoke DefCARS training sessions for companies and also support MOD training of their users of the system. If you are interested in receiving training from the SSRO please email [email protected] .
To contact the SSRO with a query, call 020 3771 4785 (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday) or email [email protected]
Preparing reports
Contractors must provide statutory contract and supplier reports to the MOD and the SSRO using DefCARS and we provide guidance on the preparation of these reports.
The SSRO publishes contract reporting guidance to help contractors understand how to prepare and submit their contract reports, which includes the relevant reporting deadlines. Reports developed using the ‘potential QDC’ feature will have their status changed once it has been confirmed that the contract has been entered into, to allow for submission of the potential QDC report which has been drafted.
It can be complicated to understand when supplier reports are required and we have provided detailed guidance in section 2 of our supplier reporting guidance to help contractors understand when they must submit these reports.
We also produce guidance on DefCARS functionality to help users to understand how the system works.
The SSRO provides management information (MI) based on DefCARS data for the MOD. Details of the MI we provide is available for industry on the reporting guidance page of our website. If MOD staff do not have access to DefCARS or this MI they can contact the SSRO’s helpdesk and we will provide them with details of how to gain access.
Reviewing report submissions
Once a report is submitted, it will be reviewed by the MOD and the SSRO. The SSRO’s [compliance methodology](Compliance and review methodology 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) explains our approach to reviewing reports. Any issues identified by either party will be raised in DefCARS and will identify the relevant area of the report. The contractor can provide comments in response to the identified issue or submit a correction of the original report.
We have built in validation checks to DefCARS to assist contractors in ensuring that any potential issues with the quality of their reports are flagged before they submit their report. We provide support to contractors to help them understand why issues have been raised on reports. Contractors should contact the SSRO helpdesk if they are unclear on why issues have been raised.
We publish regular compliance information to help contractors understand how compliance with reporting requirements and how the timeliness and the quality of data provided in the reports can be improved.
The SSRO publishes guidance to assist the MOD in determining the amount of any financial penalty it issues for non-compliance.