Defence Cyber Certification for Fabrication and Metalwork Suppliers

DCC Level 0 and the Cyber Essentials it requires, for fabrication and metalwork suppliers in the defence supply chain, from one Certification Body.

Why fabrication and metalwork suppliers need Defence Cyber Certification

Fabrication, machining and metalwork suppliers to defence primes are firmly in scope as the supply chain is secured end to end. Defence buyers increasingly expect suppliers to evidence their cyber security through Defence Cyber Certification, and individual MoD contracts are already specifying a required level. If you supply the defence sector, or want to, DCC is becoming part of the price of entry.

The four DCC levels, and where Cyber Essentials fits

Defence Cyber Certification has four levels, set by the cyber risk profile of the contract. Level 0 is the supply chain floor for very low assessed risk and has just three controls: hold Cyber Essentials covering the contract scope, process personal data in compliance with UK GDPR, and build resilience into your systems. Level 1 jumps to 101 controls, Level 2 to 139 and Level 3 to 144, so the step from Level 0 to Level 1 is far larger than the numbering suggests. Your level is assigned by the MoD delivery team through the contract's Cyber Risk Profile rather than chosen by you. Crucially, every level requires Cyber Essentials, and Levels 2 and 3 require Cyber Essentials Plus as well. Cyber Essentials is the technical baseline for every level.

How Solusec helps

We are a Defence Cyber Certification Body appointed to assess and certify Level 0, and we are a Cyber Essentials Certification Body too, so we can certify the Cyber Essentials that Level 0 requires at the same time, with no handoffs. For Level 1 we provide scope reviews, gap analysis across the controls and evidence preparation. Level 2 and Level 3 assessments, which require Cyber Essentials Plus, we refer to a body appointed for those levels.

The defence supply chain in fabrication and metalwork suppliers

Fabrication and metalwork firms are often the smallest organisations in a defence supply chain and the least likely to have any IT function. A requirement that a prime contractor handles with a compliance team lands here on an owner-director with a laptop and an accountant.

What fabrication and metalwork suppliers suppliers most often have to fix first

These are the blockers that come up repeatedly here. All three are worth checking before you start an application, because each one is a remediation project rather than a paperwork exercise.

• A single shared office computer used by several people for quotes and drawings.
• Email and file sharing on consumer accounts rather than a managed business tenant.
• Cutting and forming equipment with embedded control systems that cannot be updated.

None of these stops you certifying. All of them decide whether you certify in two weeks or two months, which is the difference that matters with the MoD's 31 December 2026 expectation in view.

Why this matters now

The Ministry of Defence has asked all industry partners to achieve DCC Level 0 by 31 December 2026. It is an ask rather than a contractual mandate: IASME, which runs the scheme, states that DCC is not currently mandatory, and holding it does not yet exempt you from the Supplier Assurance Questionnaire. The requirement that binds you contractually today is DEFCON 658 and the Cyber Security Model. Individual MoD contracts are already specifying a required DCC level, and you cannot bid above your certified level. Getting Level 0 and your Cyber Essentials in place now keeps you eligible and ahead of the rush.

What Level 0 looks like for a fabrication supplier

For fabrication and metalwork suppliers Level 0 usually lands on an owner-director with a laptop, an accountant and no IT function. The good news is that three controls on a small estate is genuinely achievable in a fortnight. The usual blocker is that email and file sharing sit on consumer accounts rather than a managed business tenant, which is a fixable problem.