Swindon-based packaging firm GWP could be in line for more Government-related work after winning a place on a list of approved suppliers to the Ministry of Defence.
The Framework Agreement for Technical Support (FATS/4) for packaging products allows UK public sector organisations to quickly and accurately source suppliers with high levels of technical expertise in specialist areas.
While the framework is administered through the MoD, it also covers other Government departments and organisations including the Home Office, Metropolitan Police Service, Forensic Science Laboratory, Meteorological Office and HM Revenue and Customs.
The framework means that GWP could stand to benefit from a share of MoD and Government contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
The MoD will be able to work with all of GWP’s four specialist arms – GWP Packaging for traditional packaging manufacturing and Corri-Spool and Corri-Spring technology, GWP Protective for custom flight cases and protective cases with engineering foam inserts, GWP Conductive for ESD and anti-static packaging and GWP Coatings for water, oil and abrasion protection.
Group chief executive officer David Pedley believes the FATS/4 agreement is a great opportunity for GWP.
“Our Protective division has produced packaging for the defence industry for many years and our expertise and experience has helped us win this valuable place that will benefit the whole of the company,” Mr Pedley said. “The defence sector presents a number of unique and distinct challenges – the whole procurement process is under a high level of public scrutiny and there is a continual pressure to realise value in regards to time, cost and quality whilst maintaining the highest standards of security and reliability.”
There are a total of 350 suppliers on the framework across a wide variety of industries and sectors including technical studies, project and engineering support.
GWP, based on Cricklade’s Chelworth Park industrial estate, employs more than 100 people across its four divisions.
