UK Defence Market Access
Commercial market access for technical companies entering defence.
Defence Access helps technical, engineering, cyber, manufacturing and dual-use companies identify relevant accounts, map decision-makers, shape sector-specific messaging and open qualified conversations with primes, partners and defence-adjacent buyers.
Not ready to talk? View a sample target map
Trusted commercial experience across enterprise technology, engineering and regulated markets.
- NVIDIA
- Toshiba
- Tanium
Shown as the team’s commercial background and experience. These organisations are not clients of Defence Access and do not endorse the firm.
Defence Access turns defence ambition into structured commercial market access: target-account mapping, decision-maker research, sector-specific messaging, qualified outreach and event-led pipeline development, introducing specialist partners where readiness, procurement or certification expertise is required.
Sound familiar?
The situations we hear most often
We have strong technology, but we do not know who to approach.
We have spoken to defence before, and nothing progressed.
We know defence is relevant, but we do not know where to start.
We have exhibited at defence events without generating pipeline.
That is exactly the gap Defence Access closes: a managed, commercial route from capability to qualified conversations, run with the discipline defence expects.
What we do
Four pillars, one disciplined function
Prime and Partner Access
Mapping the primes, tier-one suppliers, partners and buyers where your capability is most relevant, and the realistic route to each.
Explore the pillarGo-to-Market and Pipeline
Positioning your capability for defence buyers, reaching the right people compliantly, and managing a pipeline your leadership team can read.
Explore the pillarOpportunity Intelligence
Monitoring the sources that matter and filtering them to a prioritised, plain-English view of what is genuinely worth pursuing.
Explore the pillarEvent-Led Market Access
Planning the commercial activity around defence exhibitions, conferences and forums: before, during and after the event.
Explore the pillarFounding Partner
Dane Cross
Dane's background is commercial and go-to-market: building structured outbound and pipeline systems for technical companies across engineering, cyber and enterprise technology. Defence Access applies that discipline to a sector where credibility and patience matter more than volume.
Meet the founderWhy now
The market is opening to SMEs
- £7.5bn
- Total direct and indirect MOD SME spend target by May 2028, an increase of £2.5bn.
- Source: Ministry of Defence: small and medium-sized enterprise engagement (gov.uk)
- Up to £4m
- Commercial X contracts backing thirteen British defence companies.
- Source: Government backing future British defence unicorns: Commercial X (gov.uk)
- Since 2016
- The DASA-funded innovation ecosystem tracked in the Impact Report 2025 (2016 to 2024).
- Source: DASA Impact Report 2025 (gov.uk)
Ways to work with us
An access ladder, from diagnostic to embedded
Start with a fixed-scope diagnostic, or step up to a managed programme. Each rung builds on the last, so nothing is wasted.
Rung 01
Defence Route-to-Market Audit
From £1,500
10 working days
Best for: A door-opener for suppliers not yet ready for a retainer.
- Market-fit and route assessment
- Priority target segments
- 20 to 30 target accounts
- 50 named contacts
- Route map and outreach angle
- A 90-day action plan
Rung 02
Defence Market Access Sprint
From £4,500 / month
2 months
Best for: Smaller suppliers testing defence access before committing.
- Account list and stakeholder mapping
- Outreach sequences built and run
- First qualified conversations
- Weekly reporting
Rung 03
Full Event-Led Market Access Campaign
From £7,500
8 to 12 weeks around an event
Best for: Suppliers attending or exhibiting at a defence event who want meetings booked before they arrive.
- Event selection and target mapping
- Pre-event outreach and meeting booking
- Event messaging and positioning
- Post-event follow-up campaign
- Pipeline and engagement report
Rung 04
Managed Market Access Programme
From £7,500 / month
3 months minimum
Best for: The main programme for credible technical SMEs.
- Target-account and prime/tier-one route mapping
- Stakeholder research and compliant outreach
- Opportunity intelligence and DSP tracking
- Partner and teaming conversations
- Weekly pipeline review and meeting generation
Rung 05
Capture & Partner Development Support
From £12,000 / month
3 to 6 months
Best for: Suppliers pursuing defined opportunities or strategic accounts.
- Stakeholder mapping on named opportunities
- Partner and teaming search
- Bid / no-bid support and proposal positioning
- Bid-consultant coordination
- Executive-level outreach
Rung 06
Embedded Market Access Programme
From £20,000 / month
6 to 12 months
Best for: High-growth suppliers wanting an ongoing outsourced market-access function.
- Ongoing account mapping and prioritisation
- Multi-channel outreach and conversation qualification
- Pipeline development and reporting
- Partner and teaming development
- Commercial feedback and market learning
Pricing reflects scope. Book a Market Access Review for a tailored proposal.
The method
From capability to pipeline
One managed process, reported weekly. Each step feeds the next.
- Capability
- Target sectors
- Target accounts
- Decision-makers
- Outreach
- Qualified conversations
- Pipeline
A complete process
Market access is more than outreach
Outreach is one part of a wider market-access process that includes account selection, stakeholder mapping, positioning, qualification and pipeline management. We run all of it as a managed function, and report a pipeline a leadership team can read.
What it includes
- Account selection
- Stakeholder mapping
- Positioning and messaging
- Qualification and pipeline management
What you get
- Named accounts and stakeholders
- Compliant, targeted outreach
- Qualified opportunities
- A weekly board-style pipeline
A sample deliverable
What a target map looks like
An extract from the kind of target map an engagement produces. Illustrative example only: generic account types, not real organisations or client work.
| Account | Likely stakeholder | Commercial route | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier-one land-systems integrator | Supply-chain or procurement lead | Prime supplier onboarding | High |
| Naval combat-systems prime | Engineering capability owner | Teaming on a framework opportunity | Medium |
| Defence innovation buyer | Innovation or experimentation lead | Innovation route, for example DASA | Medium |
Built to be trusted
Credible by design, compliant by default
Working near government and primes demands discipline. We hold a clear, defensible line on what we will and will not do.
Read our security and compliance posture-
No contract guarantees
We never guarantee contracts and claim no influence over procurement decisions.
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Evidence-backed claims only
We do not invent capabilities, certifications, endorsements or contract history.
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Procurement integrity
We work within UK procurement, data-protection and anti-bribery expectations.
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No classified information required
Our standard service uses publicly available and client-approved commercial information. It does not require classified material, security clearance or facility clearance.
Common questions
Clear answers, before you ask
A few of the questions suppliers most often ask about defence market access.
What is Defence Access?
Defence Access is a UK defence market-access firm. We help credible technical and dual-use suppliers build structured commercial routes into defence and defence-adjacent markets: target-account mapping, decision-maker research, sector-specific messaging and qualified conversations with primes, partners and buyers. Where readiness, procurement or certification expertise is required, we introduce specialist partners.
What does defence market access include?
Outreach is one part of a wider process. Alongside it we select target accounts, research named decision-makers, shape sector-specific messaging, qualify interest and manage a pipeline reported weekly. The measure is qualified commercial conversations and pipeline movement, not call volume or a list of contacts.
How do UK SMEs sell to the MOD?
Most UK SMEs reach defence through the supply chain, supplying prime contractors and tier-one suppliers, rather than winning direct MOD contracts. The practical route combines credible positioning, target-account mapping, monitoring opportunity sources such as the Defence Sourcing Portal, and building relationships with the right buyers and partners.
Do you guarantee defence contracts?
No. We never guarantee contracts and we make no claim of influence over procurement decisions, officials or evaluators. We build a disciplined, well-targeted pipeline and report it transparently. Credible defence relationships are won on capability, fit and timing, not on guarantees.
Do you handle classified opportunities?
No. Our standard service uses publicly available and client-approved commercial information, and openly published opportunity sources. We do not source classified opportunities or require classified information to deliver it. Where an engagement would need sensitive material, we scope it with the client and appropriate specialists first.
Start the conversation
Request a Market Access Review
A focused 20-minute conversation about your current defence route, target accounts, proof assets, the barriers in your way and how urgent the commercial need is.