UK engineering & manufacturing
UK advanced manufacturing and supply chains
British manufacturers are being asked for more than a good price: traceable parts, secure data, sovereign supply and paperwork that stands up to scrutiny. These guides cover the rules and requirements behind that shift, and where to check them.
Digital trade documents
The Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023: when an electronic bill of lading counts as the real thing.
Read the guide →Selling to UK defence
Tenders, the Procurement Act 2023, cyber requirements, quality standards and security.
Read the guide →Space industry licensing
How the CAA licenses spaceports and launch, and what that means for suppliers.
Read the guide →AUKUS and export controls
The US and UK changes that ease defence trade between AUKUS partners, and what still needs a licence.
Read the guide →Why these topics, and why now
Several changes are reshaping how UK engineering firms win and deliver work:
- Trade paperwork is going digital with legal force. Since the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023, electronic trade documents that meet its criteria carry the same legal effect as paper.
- Public procurement rules changed. The Procurement Act 2023 took effect in February 2025, bringing a new central digital platform for suppliers.
- Defence customers expect cyber and supply-chain assurance from suppliers of every size, not just the primes.
- Allied defence trade is being eased through AUKUS, while export controls in general remain as important as ever.
- Engineering talent is scarce, and verifying qualifications and right to work is part of every hire.
Traceability is the common thread
Each topic comes back to the same question: can you show where something came from, who handled it, and what happened to it along the way? A defence prime asking about part provenance, a bank relying on an electronic bill of lading and an auditor checking a first article all want the same kind of record.
That record is what Cargovate for manufacturers is built to keep, including serial and lot genealogy and a custody chain for goods in transit. Cargovate is a Vexidus Corporation company, as is this site.
How to use the guides
Each guide explains how the process works and names the authority that decides it. None of them is legal advice. Use them to prepare better questions for the regulator, your customer or your adviser. Hiring engineers? Start with chartered status and right to work, and for leading engineering teams in the AI era, see our sister guide Engineering Lead.