SDO Connect

Connecting Defence & Aerospace Buyers and Suppliers

SDO Connect is a secure online community designed to transform how suppliers and buyers connect across the UK Defence and Aerospace sectors. Built on the trusted and secure Kahootz cloud collaboration platform, SDO Connect provides a central hub where organisations can showcase their capabilities, discover new opportunities, and build valuable business relationships.

Why?

SDO Connect addresses a long-standing challenge within the sector: the lack of a single, accessible source of supply chain capability knowledge. Buyers often rely on internet searches, personal networks and industry events to find potential suppliers, while suppliers face multiple portals and registration systems with limited visibility of whether their profiles are being searched, what buyers are looking for or how to improve engagement.

As Defence and Aerospace programmes become more complex, urgent and large-scale, SDO Connect helps accelerate the discovery of innovative suppliers and improve visibility of capabilities, including those in dual-use and adjacent sectors. This supports the development of more resilient and sustainable supply chains.

How does it work?

SDO Connect combines digital capability matching with SDO Associates’ human qualification process and deep sector knowledge. Suppliers create detailed profiles covering products, technologies, services, certifications, accreditations and areas of expertise, forming a searchable database of supply chain capabilities.

Buyer requirements are captured through standardised enquiry forms, allowing SDO Associates to identify, review and qualify relevant suppliers based on their capability, credibility and alignment with the requirement. Suppliers are then contacted to confirm their interest before introductions are made, ensuring connections are relevant, meaningful and focused on delivering outcomes.