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DEFONEOS · DSP Registration Walkthrough

UK Defence Sourcing Portal — supplier registration, step-by-step · 10 Jul 2026 · Owner-Gated P0 · Part of first-MOD-contact pack
OWNER-GATED P0: Requires Nick's personal information (full name, date of birth, address history 5yrs, Companies House number CSOAI Ltd 16939677, UTR/PAYE if trading >£10K). This walkthrough is the playbook — Nick executes, JEEVES stages. Estimated time: 30 min on portal, then 10 business days validation.
⏰ Target submission: Mon 13 Jul 2026 (Day 10) · Validation ~10 working days → live by ~27 Jul

1 · What is the Defence Sourcing Portal?

The DSP is the single front door for ALL UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) supplier registrations, since 2018. It replaced the old DEFFORM system and is operated by the Defence Sourcing Board (DSB) on behalf of the whole UK defence ecosystem including Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), UK Strategic Command (UKStratCom), Strategic Command, and the 4 Front-Line Commands (Navy, Army, Air, Strategic).

Without DSP registration you cannot:

2 · Pre-requisites (have these ready BEFORE you start)

#PrerequisiteSource / ActionNotes
1Company registrationCompanies House CSOAI Ltd · Co. No. 16939677Already registered
2Companies House authenticationCompanies House API key OR sign-in via .gov.ukUse sign-in via gov.uk for fastest
3DUNS numberDun & Bradstreet — free at dnb.com/duns-number5-day processing — apply NOW if missing
4VAT number (if VAT registered)HMRC VAT onlineCSOAI Ltd is VAT-registered (turnover > £85K threshold)
5ICO Data Protection registrationico.org.uk/fee · fee £40/yr for small orgsRequired for any MOD data handling
6BANK account (sort code + account no.)Business bankFor payment of MOD invoices via PSP
7Insurance certificatesProfessional Indemnity £1M+ · Public Liability £2M+Standard MOD requirement, renew annually
8Person with significant control (PSC)Nick Templeman — sole director, sole PSCWill require Right to Work check
9Modern Slavery Statementmodernslaveryregistry.org (if turnover > £36M — N/A, but upload anyway)Defence good-practice requirement
10Cyber Essentials (recommended, not required for DSP alone)IASME — £320 (basic) / £600 (Plus)Required for many MOD contracts downstream

3 · The 9-Step DSP Registration Walkthrough

Step 1 · Portal entry (2 min)

  1. Navigate to https://www.gov.uk/defence-sourcing-portal
  2. Click "Register as a Supplier" (orange CTA, top-right)
  3. Read and accept the Defence Sourcing Privacy Notice (covers how your data is shared with MOD)
  4. Choose "Login or create a gov.uk account" for DSP single sign-on

Step 2 · Create / Link gov.uk account (3 min)

  1. If you already use gov.uk for HMRC / Companies House — use that ID, just add DSP scope
  2. If new: provide full name, email, mobile, create password 12+ chars with symbols
  3. Verify email (check junk, link valid 24h)
Use: nicholas.templeman@csoai.org (or @meok.ai) as primary; +44 mobile for 2FA. Don't use Gmail/Outlook — gov.uk prefers government-aligned domains for trust scoring.

Step 3 · Organisation details (5 min)

  1. Legal name: CSOAI Ltd
  2. Trading name: DEFONEOS / MEOK Labs (sub-brand)
  3. Companies House number: 16939677
  4. Incorporation date: as per CH certificate
  5. SIC code: 62012 — Business and domestic software development + add 62020 (information technology consultancy)
  6. Country of registration: United Kingdom
  7. VAT number: as registered
  8. DUNS number: apply now if missing — 5 working day lead time

Step 4 · Registered office & operational address (2 min)

  1. Registered office: as on Companies House (London)
  2. Operational address: yours or workspace address (DEFONEOS work happens from Yorkshire / remote)
  3. Both must be UK addresses. PO Box NOT accepted.

Step 5 · PSC (Person with Significant Control) — Nick's details (3 min)

OWNER-GATED: This is Nick's personal section. Required fields:

Step 6 · Capabilities & Categories (10 min) — IMPORTANT

Choose the UNSPSC / CPV codes that determine which contract notices you receive:

CodeDescriptionWhy DEFONEOS Needs It
43232300Database softwareOSCAL storage / sovereign substrate
43232400Data exchange softwareSTANAG 4607 ingest bridge
43232500Information filtering softwareRED/BLACK separation, lawful intercept compliance
72150000Computer audit / hardware servicesCyber Essentials evidence, BFT council audit logs
81110000Computer servicesMCP marketplace, PyPI distribution
81160000Information technology servicesSovereign substrate integration
81161700Telecommunications servicesNATO STO / SHAPE bridge
81111500Software development servicesDEFONEOS core build
85000000Healthcare / social servicesNHS pilot (defoneos-nhs-dhsc.html)
93000000Politics / civil serviceFVEY / CPNI products

Step 7 · Security & Eligibility (5 min)

  1. Cyber Essentials: tick "Applied for — pending" (provides slot in registration)
  2. UK SC clearance: tick "Not held — application in progress" (defoneos-cyber-essentials-application.html workflow)
  3. Disqualification declarations:
    • Modern Slavery Act compliance: Yes
    • Bribery Act 2010 policies in place: Yes
    • Equality Act 2010: Yes
    • Health & Safety at Work Act 1974: Yes
  4. Tax & Social Security: provide UTR, PAYE ref, VAT registration

Step 8 · Insurance & Financial Standing (3 min)

  1. Professional Indemnity insurance: £1,000,000 minimum — upload cert
  2. Public Liability insurance: £2,000,000 — upload cert
  3. Employer's Liability: £5,000,000 — statutory (if any employees)
  4. Last 3 years' accounts or self-assessment: upload latest filed accounts
Action if gap: DEFONEOS pivot to First Affiliate requires £1M PI as minimum for defence. Check current policy terms; flag renewal date.

Step 9 · Review & Submit (5 min)

  1. Carefully review all sections — DSP cannot be edited for 24h after submission
  2. Acknowledge the Supplier Code of Conduct (DEFSTAN 05-136 aligned)
  3. Submit — receive confirmation email within 1 working day
  4. Validation: 5-10 working days target, but historic range 14-21 days

4 · Post-submission Actions

5 · Defence + Security Accelerator (DASA) — Direct Route (parallel)

Even without DSP fully validated, you can submit DASA bids via the Innovation Loans / Open Call stream which goes directly to DASA. DASA accepts Expressions of Interest from any UK registered company — DSP just speeds up the contract award post-bid.

DEFONEOS DASA draft already prepared at defoneos-dasa-application.html — submit Mon 13 Jul, 2pm BST.

6 · 90-Day Compliance Calendar

DateActionTarget StatusBlocker
10-13 JulDSP submission + ICO renewalSubmittedOwner info
14-21 JulDUNS application if missingGrantedFree, online
20-22 JulCyber Essentials application with IASMESubmitted£320 fee
22 Jul - 1 AugCE+ evidence gather + audit (Plus tier if bidding MOD-Prime)AuditedCyberEssentialsPlus body access
22 Jul +UK SC clearance application (through gov.uk / Disclosure Scotland equivalent)SubmittedRight to Work + address 5yr history
22 Jul - 13 AugInsurance uplift to MOD-minimumRenewed£1K-£3K premium uplift
4 Aug - 25 AugDSP validation (typical window)ApprovedDefence Sourcing Board
~27 AugDSP active — eligible for all MOD contractsLive
Q3First MOD opportunity bidBid filedLive DSP
Pro Tip: Don't wait for DSP validation to send first outreach emails to DASA / UKDI / DIANA — DASA Open Call accepts any UK Ltd company; DSP just confirms the award.

7 · The 12-Framework Crosswalk

Framework / RegulationDSP TouchpointDEFONEOS Coverage
Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) — Supplier RegThis walkthroughSubmission by 13 Jul
DEFSTAN 05-136 (Supplier Code of Conduct)Step 9 acknowledgementBuilt into charter
Cyber Essentials / PlusStep 7 + 90-daydefoneos-cyber-essentials-application.html
UK SC (Security Clearance)Step 7 + 90-day4-6 weeks application
JSP 936 (Defence AI Safety)Downstreamdefoneos-mod-jsp-compliance.html
OSCAL / NIST 800-53Evidence vaultdefoneos-oscalssp-pipeline.html
ATLAS / NATO AC/322-D(2018)0046DownstreamTrilateral CSDP/CFE conventions
Tactical Edge Compliance (STANAG 4778)STANAG coverageSTANAG 4778 confidentiality-binding at data layer
Modern Slavery Act 2015Step 7 declarationStatement on registry
Bribery Act 2010Step 7 declarationPolicies published
Equality Act 2010Step 7 declarationStandard policy
Procurement Act 2023 §19 (Single-Defence Tender)Future bidsDEFONEOS Tier-2/3 procurement pathway

8 · Honesty Register — What This Walkthrough Does and Does Not Do

Honesty Register — DSP Registration Walkthrough

  1. This walkthrough is the procedure. Submission itself is OWNER-GATED — requires Nick's personal data.
  2. Validation timelines (5-10 working days) are the published target; historic range 14-21.
  3. The CPV/UNSPSC codes chosen are a starting set; expand once DSP validates and you have DASA feedback.
  4. Insurance requirements (£1M PI, £2M PL) are the MOD minimum; some contracts require higher (£10M+).
  5. UK SC clearance is the FIRST step; higher contracts require CTC (Developed Vetting).
  6. The 90-day calendar assumes no surprises — extend by 4-6 weeks if any insurer underwrites slowly.
  7. This walkthrough does NOT include VAT registration (assumed); if not VAT-registered, register via HMRC first.
  8. The DASA / DSP primary paths are illustrative — final compliance route depends on validation outcome.