
Marking a major milestone in the development of security protocols for the North West region, on Tuesday 28th January we supported Cabinet Office (CO) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for the first Modular Security Schedules (MSS) Training Session in Manchester. This event brought together over 30 delegates from local authorities and served as a trial training session, paving the way for a wider rollout of this crucial initiative to councils across other regions.
The Cabinet Office has published a new set of Modular Security Schedules, which will be embedded into standard contracting frameworks as part of their upcoming refresh. This is in response to the threats to our supply chains which continue to grow and evolve, with our experience telling us that we still have significant vulnerabilities.
These new clauses are designed to adapt to the ever-changing nature of the risk, and make it easier for commercial professionals across government to build security considerations into departmental contracting processes and set and communicate proportionate contractual security requirements to suppliers and subcontractors.
On the day, delegates heard from invited speaker Anna Brostromer who has developed the Modular Security Schedules. Anna personally led the session, offering valuable insights into the development of the Modular Security Schedules. Crafted by her and her dedicated team, these schedules serve as essential tools for managing contracts that involve sensitive data. They provide clear and specific conditions that hold service providers accountable.
While the concept of these schedules isn’t entirely new, Anna has significantly improved their clarity and relevance. By eliminating jargon, outdated components, and unnecessary complexity, she has created a more accessible and adaptable framework. The modular design of the schedules allows for tailored solutions, making them flexible enough to meet a variety of situational needs rather than imposing strict regulations.
It was the first time the training had been delivered to the local public sector and was therefore a chance for CO and MHCLG to gather some feedback. The session was very well received, very engaging and promoted some great conversations. The group suggested some great ideas around tailoring the schedules to a public sector audience.
Overall it marks a continued step in improving the links between cyber/data protection with contract and procurement specialists. Contracts and the negotiations continue to be the most important lever we have to ensure our supply chains remain secure and that our data is adequately protected by our third party suppliers.
If you were unable to attend this event, don’t worry! Be sure to check out our Eventbrite page for information on all our latest and upcoming events. We look forward to welcoming you to one of our future events soon!