JOSCAR Registration for Suppliers

What JOSCAR is for

Large aerospace and defence buyers need assurance about every supplier: ownership, finances, insurance, quality, health and safety, ethics, export control and cyber security. Before shared registers, each buyer sent its own questionnaire. JOSCAR holds common supplier information in one place, operated by Hellios, so that participating buying organisations can access it. Hellios lists more than 50 participating defence, aerospace and security organisations across its UK and Australian communities; many UK primes appear among them.

JOSCAR registration is not a certification and is not a government approval. It is a way of presenting verified information to buyers who have chosen to use it.

How registration works

Invitation or self-nomination. Many suppliers are invited by a buyer that uses JOSCAR. Hellios also allows suppliers to put themselves forward to become visible in the community.
Stage 1: registration. Basic organisation details, policies and core compliance information. Hellios states that Stage 1 is free.
Stage 2: qualification. Depending on what you supply and to whom, you may be asked to complete a fuller compliance questionnaire with supporting evidence. A subscription fee may apply, depending on company size and turnover; Hellios says membership of the trade association ADS can affect the fee, and confirms any fee at the time of invitation.
Validation. Responses and evidence are checked, and you may be asked to clarify or add documents.
Buyer review. Each buyer applies its own criteria to the information and may ask for more, particularly for specific projects.
Maintenance. Keep the profile current. Expired insurance or certificates can change a supplier's status with buyers, and the system prompts suppliers when information needs updating.

What the questionnaire covers

Buyer guidance describing JOSCAR lists areas such as:

company profile, ownership and key personnel
financial standing and insurance
quality management and certifications
health and safety, and environmental management
supply chain management and counterfeit parts prevention
business continuity
import and export controls
cyber security and data privacy
ethics, anti-bribery and modern slavery

The exact questions depend on the stage and on what you supply. Treat the list as a guide to the evidence you will need, not a definitive list.

Preparing your evidence

Area	Typical evidence	Related guide
Quality	ISO 9001 or AS9100 certificate, with scope and expiry date	AS9100 certification
Cyber	Cyber Essentials or Plus certificate; Defence Cyber Certification if held	DEFCON 658 and DCC
Export control	Named export control contact, classification records, licences held	Control list classification
Modern slavery	Policy; annual statement if your turnover requires one	Modern slavery statements
Insurance	Employer's liability, public and product liability certificates with dates
Finance	Filed accounts; explanation if the company is newly formed
Counterfeit parts	Procedure for buying from authorised sources and handling suspect parts

Tips from the way buyers read profiles

Answer honestly where you have no policy yet. A clear "not yet, planned for" is easier for a buyer to work with than a vague answer that is later found to be wrong.
Match certificate scope to what you supply. A certificate that covers a different site or activity does not help.
Name real people. Buyers want a contact for quality, export control and cyber questions.
Set reminders. Put every certificate and insurance renewal date in one calendar.
Keep supporting records ready. A buyer's follow-up questions often ask for evidence behind a policy, such as training records or supplier approvals.

A preparation timeline

Before any invitation. Gather the documents in the table above into one folder, named consistently, with expiry dates listed. Decide who owns the profile.
When invited. Complete Stage 1 promptly; buyers often set deadlines, and some will not place orders until registration is done.
If Stage 2 applies. Work through the questionnaire section by section, attaching evidence as you go. Where a policy is missing, write one you will actually follow rather than copying a template you cannot evidence.
After validation. Answer clarification requests quickly and keep a note of what was asked; other buyers tend to ask the same.
Every quarter. Check the profile against reality: directors, addresses, certificates, insurance and key contacts.

What buyers do with the information

Buyers use the profile to decide whether a supplier can be approved for a category, what risk controls to apply, and which follow-up checks to run. A supplier with gaps is not automatically rejected; the buyer may set conditions, such as achieving a certificate by a date, or limit the kind of work offered until the gap is closed.

Where JOSCAR fits in the bigger picture

JOSCAR helps you reach primes and larger suppliers. It does not replace registration for direct MOD opportunities, which run through the Defence Sourcing Portal and the central digital platform. See how to become an MOD supplier and selling into the defence supply chain.

Common questions

Is JOSCAR compulsory?

Not by law. Individual buyers decide whether to require it of their suppliers, and some do.

How much does JOSCAR cost?

Stage 1 is free according to Hellios. Stage 2 may carry a fee depending on company size, turnover and trade association membership. Hellios confirms fees when it invites a supplier.

How long does it take?

Stage 1 is short. Stage 2 depends on how much of your evidence already exists; gathering policies and certificates is usually the slow part.

Can buyers outside the UK see my profile?

JOSCAR has UK and Australian communities. Which organisations can see which information is set by the scheme's rules; check with Hellios.

Does JOSCAR registration mean we are approved by a prime?

No. Each prime makes its own decision using the information, and may require more before placing an order.