Babcock Australasia’s (Babcock) exemplary delivery of Counter Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (C-CBRNE) asset management and solutions has led to a significant expansion of the critical Defence program, with dozens of additional technologies and equipment now falling under its management umbrella.
Since securing a Prime Vendor agreement with the Australian Defence Force in 2019, Babcock has grown the remit and output of the program by more than 400 per cent, working closely with Defence and industry to identify capability gaps caused by technology obsolescence, as well as sourcing and acquiring new C-CBRNE tools to sharpen Defence’s counter response to existing and emerging threats.
Babcock is listed as ‘excelling’ in all eight of the Defence Supplier Rating System categories, including contract management, AIC, availability, and cost.
Babcock Australasia Managing Director Mission & Support Systems Richard Udall said the success of the program can be attributed to a close customer relationship built on trust, responsiveness and a willingness to find solutions.
“We have optimised resourcing on this program and recruited a highly effective team who work from a foundation of collaboration,” Mr Udall said.
“Fifty per cent of our team have had past Defence experience so they understand the nuance and complexities around bespoke capability, and importantly the functional use of these C-CBRNE products, so they have been able to lean in to understand Defence’s needs.”
Babcock has driven significant growth in acquisitions off the back of its strong performance in asset management.
“By actively managing obsolescence, we have been able to make calculated decisions about when best to introduce new technology to stay ahead of the curve. This becomes particularly important now with the littoral positioning of Army capabilities,” Mr Udall said.
“Our aim is to ensure reliability and resilience in Defence operations by quickly identifying any shortfalls and providing alternative solutions. This transparent approach fosters trust and ensures cost-effective solutions tailored to Defence’s needs.”
Strong contract management within the C-CBRNE program has also had a positive flow on effect for Australian suppliers, with Babcock helping to close the gap between Defence and industry by attracting leading-edge ideas and innovations that best address the challenge at hand.
“One of our most important roles as a Prime System Integrator – in addition to representing Defence’s requirements to industry – is to build Australian industry capability by advocating suppliers’ needs back to Defence. This is a key part we play in growing a resilient sovereign supply chain,” Mr Udall said.
The effectiveness of the C-CBRNE team – and its overall contract model – has seen its skills and services now being utilised by other Defence programs to fill capability gaps, including a watercraft acquisition outside of the program’s scope, which Babcock sourced and procured within a tight timeframe.
A new purpose-built warehouse facility in Adelaide, scheduled to be complete by the end of the year, will further increase Babcock’s capacity to support such requests was well as provide increased speed of availability of current equipment.
“We see great potential for this contract model to be rolled out across all Defence programs as a template for success,” Mr Udall said. “And in the meantime, we continue to look for further efficiencies, particularly in the early stages before asset purchase, where we can support Defence to map requirements and increase assurance practices, so its limited resources and personnel can focus on the core business of protecting the nation.”
Babcock’s C-CBRNE program delivers 132 different types of equipment in support of a tri-service capability including explosive ordnance disposal suits, remote operating vehicles and various chemical detection systems.
Babcock was awarded Land Business of the Year at the Australian Defence Industry Awards 2023 and was again named a finalist in 2024 for its consistent delivery of the C-CBRNE program on behalf of the Australian Defence Force.