Board minutes: 31 March 2026
Published 23 June 2026
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Minutes of the 62nd Board Meeting
held at 100 Parliament St and video-conference
31 March 2026 10:00-14:30
| Board members present: | Others present: |
|---|---|
| Hannah Nixon (Chair) | Malcolm Botting (for part) |
| Roy Barker | David Goodwin (for part) |
| Hugh Kelly | Colin Hill |
| John Russell | Ben Johnson (for part) |
| Joanne Watts | Siobhan O’Donoghue |
| Claire Williams | Colin Sharples (for part) |
| Vyoma Shukla | |
| Chris Willcox (for part) | |
| Tara Usher, MOD | |
| Andy Start, MOD (for part) |
1. Welcome, apologies, announcements, and declarations of interest
The Chair welcomed Board members and attendees to the meeting.
There were no apologies for absence.
Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
2. Stakeholder Speaker: Andy Start, Deputy National Armaments Director, MOD
The Chair welcomed Andy Start to the meeting as part of the regular programme of stakeholder speakers.
The discussion was wide-ranging, covering the pace of change across Defence, the ambition of the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy, and current operating challenges. Andy endorsed the SSRO’s contribution and evolution in recent years, and its important role in defence procurement. On behalf of the Board, the Chair thanked Andy for his informative presentation and candid discussion.
3. Minutes of previous meetings (SSRO 01-0326 and SSRO 02-0326) and action tracker (SSRO 03-0326)
The Board received the draft minutes of the meetings held on 9 December 2025 and 20 January 2026. The Board also noted the action tracker and confirmed that there were no overdue actions.
The Board APPROVED the minutes of the meetings held on 9 December 2025 and 20 January 2026 as a correct record, and noted the action tracker.
4. Chief Executive’s Report (SSRO 04-0326)
The Chief Executive introduced his report summarising recent activity, current priorities and key issues not covered elsewhere on the agenda.
In discussion, the Board noted developments in the external defence environment, progress with the Arm’s Length Body (ALB) review of the SSRO, budget planning assumptions for 2026-27, latest progress with the ITMS and DefCARS procurement, the ongoing roll-out of CoPilot (artificial intelligence), and ongoing stakeholder engagement including the positive workshops at the MOD’s recent ‘SSCR week’.
The Board also noted that the SSRO’s assessment of the baseline profit rate (and other rates) had been accepted by the Minister for Defence Readiness & Industry, and that the Written Ministerial Statement had explicitly recognised the importance of this work in relation to industry resilience and fair returns.
The Board NOTED the Chief Executive’s Report.
5. Corporate Performance Report (SSRO 05-0326)
The Board considered the Corporate Performance Report covering performance to mid-March 2026. The discussion focused on overall delivery against objectives, the small number of amber statuses arising from external dependencies, and recent adjustments to corporate risks.
The Board NOTED the Corporate Performance Report.
6. Corporate Plan 2026-27 (SSRO 06-0326)
The Board considered a final draft Corporate Plan for 2026-27, which reflected the Board’s previous steer and feedback from MOD colleagues and Industry. The Board endorsed the one-year refresh approach, alignment with Defence priorities, proposed handling of current budget uncertainties, and the Plan’s emphasis on digital resilience, efficiency and delivery of statutory functions. The Board also discussed the importance of a strategic narrative, and noted that key milestones would be reported through regular corporate performance monitoring mechanisms.
Subject to minor, final, presentational refinements, the Board endorsed the Plan for submission to MOD and publication.
The Board:
- APPROVED the draft Corporate Plan 2026-27 for submission to the Secretary of State (MOD) and subsequent publication, thereby authorising the SSRO’s strategic objectives and key activities for 2026-27; and
- NOTED the updates made since the Board’s December 2025 discussion, including changes reflecting the Board’s steers and feedback from MOD and staff engagement.
7. Risk Management (SSRO 07-0326)
The Chief Executive introduced the Board’s annual risk item. The Board discussed the continued appropriateness of the SSRO’s risk management framework, confirmed the risk appetite for each corporate risk, and noted the overview of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee’s role and approach in relation to risk, provided by the Committee’s Chair.
The Board:
- APPROVED the updated Risk Management Policy, which incorporated minor revisions following the routine annual review;
- CONFIRMED that the risk appetite for each of the corporate risks remained appropriate; and
- DISCUSSED at a high-level whether any material changes in the SSRO’s broader risk environment should be reflected in updates to the Corporate Risk Register.
The MOD Observer left the room for the duration of the Item 8
8. OSC Single Source Contract Regulations review (SSRO 08-0326)
The Board noted the update on the MOD’s review of the Single Source Contract Regulations (SSCRs), which included a summary of the SSRO’s input to date, and a re-cap of the SSRO’s draft recommendations under section 39(2) of the Defence Reform Act 2014, which continued to be refined.
The Board agreed that management should continue to test and develop the SSRO’s thinking through ongoing engagement with MOD officials and workshops, and that publication of the SSRO’s recommendations should remain flexible and be sequenced carefully alongside the MOD’s wider policy development. Final judgement on the timing and approach to publication would be at the Chair’s and Chief Executive’s discretion, though any material change to the draft recommendations would be brought back to the Board.
The Board DISCUSSED the update on the SSCR review.
The MOD Observer rejoined the meeting
9. SSRO Guidance on Contract Amendments (SSRO 09-0326)
The Board considered the paper seeking approval to publish new guidance on pricing contract amendments. This followed a public consultation on the draft guidance, which had been received positively by stakeholders. The ‘Quick Start’ guide had been particularly welcomed. Publication would follow the pre-election embargo period, along with further stakeholder engagement and support.
The Board:
- APPROVED the publication of the SSRO guidance on contract amendments; the SSRO response to the consultation, and the contract amendments ‘Quick Start’ guide; and
- DELEGATED AUTHORITY to the Chief Regulatory Officer to approve any minor changes to the documents prior to publication.
10. Employee Engagement Survey action plan (SSRO 10-0326)
The Board considered the proposed action plan in response to the 2025 Employee Engagement Survey, noting that it had been developed jointly by management and staff representatives. Discussion focused on the targeted, time-limited actions, which were endorsed, incusing the pilot REACH behaviours programme.
The Board also discussed future survey approaches, including using supplementary measures to assess staff experience alongside the headline engagement score, and how a more granular analysis of results may help target future actions. Delivery of the action plan would be tracked through the Corporate Performance Report.
The Board CONSIDERED the Employee Engagement Survey action plan.
11. SSRO Support Offer (SSRO 11-0326)
The Board received the annual update on the SSRO Support offer, which included the SSRO helpdesk, the Non-Referral Advice Service (NRAS), training and onboarding for industry, published Q&A guidance (responses to common questions), and stakeholder engagement forums. The update also included overviews of demand levels, stakeholder feedback and planned improvements.
The Board joined the Chair in paying tribute to Simon McCullough (Principal Regulatory Policy Manager) who was retiring in April 2026, and thanked him for his contribution to the development of the SSRO’s helpdesk and wider support offer.
The Board NOTED the update on the SSRO’s support offer.
12. Audit and Risk Assurance Committee update (Oral)
The Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee provided an oral update from the meeting held on 17 March 2026.
The Board NOTED the update from the 17 March 2026 Audit and Risk Assurance Committee meeting.
13. 2025-26 Board Effectiveness Review (SSRO 12-0326)
The Board considered the annual Board Effectiveness Review, which had found the Board to be operating effectively, with strong overall performance in strategic oversight, governance, risk and control, and other core areas. The discussion focused on areas for further and ongoing development and the Board endorsed the action plan. A progress report would be provided to the September 2026 meeting.
The Board CONSIDERED the 2025-26 Board Effectiveness Review and action plan.
14. Future workplan (SSRO 13-0326) and reflections on meeting
The Board noted the summary of future Board meeting business and reflected on the business considered at the meeting.
15. Any other business
There was no further business.
The next meeting of the Board would take place on 17 June 2026.