Delivering Mission Capability at Speed: Why Specialist SME Partnerships Matter

Defence, security and critical infrastructure operators are being asked to modernise faster than ever. The pace of threat evolution, the complexity of legacy environments, and the increasing reliance on software-defined capability means “delivery speed” is no longer a project metric. It is a mission requirement.

This is why YAVA exists.

YAVA works with specialist SMEs to deliver cost-effective, time-sensitive capability for defence, security and critical infrastructure operators. We bring the right specialist partners to the table quickly, de-risk integration, and deliver practical solutions that large defence primes often cannot deploy at pace.

The operational context: critical systems are under continuous pressure

Across critical infrastructure, the threat environment continues to intensify. Research cited in 2024 reported a 30% year-on-year increase in cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, with more than 420 million attacks between January 2023 and January 2024, equivalent to around 13 attacks per second.

For operators, this translates into a simple truth: resilience cannot wait for perfect procurement cycles, and capability cannot be delivered on timelines that assume stable environments.

What is driving urgency (and what it changes for operators)

Driver	What’s changing	What it means in practice
Threat tempo	Adversaries evolve faster than conventional delivery cycles	Capability must ship in increments, not “big bang” releases
Operational dependency	Infrastructure relies on data, software and connectivity	Secure integration is as important as the product itself
Legacy environments	Operators cannot rip and replace live systems	Solutions must work with what already exists
Programme constraints	Governance and assurance remain essential	Delivery needs to be modular, testable and auditable
Resource pressure	Specialist teams are stretched	Tools must reduce workload and friction

Why SME partnerships are becoming central to defence outcomes

Specialist SMEs are often where the most deployable innovation sits. They bring niche engineering capability, deep domain knowledge, and execution pace that can be difficult to replicate at scale.

The UK Ministry of Defence has explicitly recognised the importance of SMEs. The MOD’s SME Action Plan set a target that 25% of procurement spend should go directly and indirectly to SMEs.

UK Parliament briefings have also highlighted that while the target has been reported as being met overall, much of it is typically through indirect spend, reinforcing the ongoing need for practical mechanisms that help SMEs deliver capability into real programmes.

Why primes matter, and why SMEs still win on speed

Delivery need	Defence prime strength	Specialist SME advantage	YAVA role
Scale delivery	Large contract capacity and long-term sustainment	Right-sized teams with faster iteration	Combine both into an execution model
Governance	Mature assurance, compliance, reporting	Faster feedback loops	Build delivery that remains auditable
Integration	Established supply chain presence	Lightweight pragmatic integration approaches	Make solutions work in live environments
Innovation pace	Structured roadmap, longer cycles	Rapid prototyping and niche problem solving	De-risk capability quickly

This is not about replacing primes. It is about making delivery ecosystems work properly.

How YAVA works: capability delivery through practical partnerships

YAVA operates as the delivery partner connecting operators with the SMEs best placed to execute, while managing integration, deployment, and iteration.

We focus on delivery outcomes that are measurable and operationally useful, such as:

• reduced response time

• improved resilience and continuity

• faster integration across legacy environments

• reduced operational workload through automation

• deployable tools that work in the field, not just in demos

The YAVA delivery model

Phase	What YAVA does	What the operator receives
Mission framing	Define operational outcome, constraints and success criteria	Mission-aligned delivery brief
SME mobilisation	Identify specialist SMEs and validate feasibility fast	Mobilised specialist delivery team
Integration planning	Map interfaces, dependencies and security requirements	Integration design and deployment plan
Incremental delivery	Deploy capability in controlled releases	Working capability delivered in stages
Sustainment	Improve and adapt based on real usage	Roadmap and long-term maintainability

Where YAVA adds additional leverage: bespoke development when capability does not exist

Partnerships are essential, but sometimes the market simply does not have what operators need.

That is where YAVA’s bespoke development team becomes mission-critical.

We build and integrate capability in-house when:

• off-the-shelf systems do not meet constraints

• integration requires tailored engineering

• interim tooling is needed to unlock delivery now

• an operator needs rapid proof-of-capability before committing to full procurement

What YAVA’s bespoke development team delivers

Build type	Designed for	Example outcomes
Rapid MVP / proof-of-capability	Validate feasibility quickly	Prototype systems deployed for operator testing
Secure integration layers	Link systems without disruption	Middleware and interfaces to connect legacy and modern tools
Operator tooling	Real workflows and time pressure	Role-based applications, triage tools, operational dashboards
Automation and workflow engines	Reduce manual bottlenecks	Faster case handling, reduced admin load, fewer errors
Data pipelines and reporting logic	Controlled, auditable insight	Trusted operational reporting and decision support
Interoperability bridges	Avoid vendor lock-in	Interfaces that preserve continuity during change

The outcome: capability that ships, integrates, and improves

The real test of mission delivery is not whether a system can be built.

It is whether it can be deployed without disruption, adopted by real users, integrated into existing operations, and sustained over time.

This is the point of YAVA’s model: practical capability delivery through specialist SMEs, strengthened by bespoke engineering when it is needed, and governed with the discipline required in high-consequence environments.

Why this approach is now the direction of travel

This model aligns with broader thinking in the UK defence ecosystem. Deloitte’s recent perspective on major programmes highlights the importance of a “whole of society approach”, explicitly referencing the role of SMEs providing specialist skills alongside industry, research institutions and government stakeholders.

In other words, the delivery ecosystem is not an abstract idea. It is increasingly recognised as a requirement for modern programme success.