SSRO Chairman to stand down
The Single Source Regulations Office has announced that its Chair, Jeremy Newman, is standing down.
Jeremy was appointed as the organisation’s first Chair in July 2014, with the task of setting up the SSRO following the passage of the Defence Reform Act in May of that year. Since that time, the SSRO has become fully operational and, amongst its other achievements, has identified around £60 million of potential savings (equivalent to the SSRO’s running costs for at least the next decade).
The SSRO has also recently announced a new method for calculating the profits that companies are allowed to make, published its first annual Compliance Report, completed the setting of new pricing templates and become recognised as an organisation that can hear from whistleblowers.
With the SSRO’s role now a recognised part of defence procurement and with these milestones achieved, Jeremy has taken the difficult decision to focus on his other roles in the private, not-for-profit and public sectors, including as a non-executive Board member of the Crown Prosecution Service, the Deputy Chair of the Government Legal Department and a member of the Council of the Open University.
The Minister for Defence Procurement, Philip Dunne, said:
Jeremy has played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Single Source Regulations Office, ensuring it has become a leading independent voice in the defence commercial landscape. Under his Chairmanship the SSRO has achieved a great deal, setting the strong foundations that will enable the SSRO to play its role in delivering efficiency savings and freeing up money to deliver new capability – while ensuring that our suppliers get a fair return for the work they do.
This is a natural point in the evolution of the SSRO for a change of leadership, as it moves into a business as usual regulatory role. We wish Jeremy all the best in his future endeavours.
Jeremy Newman said:
It has been a great privilege to Chair the Single Source Regulations Office, managing its establishment and growth into an effective organisation that is capable of delivering real change. I am delighted that, under my Chairmanship, the SSRO now stands as the leading independent voice on single source Defence procurement. I am proud of what the SSRO has achieved in a short space of time and am confident I leave a strong team to take this work forward.