India Unveils Draft DAP 2026 to Boost Self-Reliance in Defence Sector

The Ministry of Defence has unveiled Draft Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2026 aimed at advancing self-reliance and reshaping the Indian defence industry. Presented as a successor to the 2020 version, the draft focuses on expediting acquisition processes, fortifying local manufacturing, and reducing dependency on imports, according to an official statement.

A significant revision in the draft reduces procurement categories from five to four, while clearly defining indigenous design to promote Aatmanirbharta. Notably, the indigenous content for the Buy (Indian-Indigenous Design, Development and Manufacture) category has increased from 50% to 60%, offering incentives for increased localization.

The draft advocates for expert involvement in formulating service requirements and supervising trials. It proposes new acquisition methods, including Long Term Bulk Acquisition for industry insights and Low-Cost Capital Acquisition for rapid technology deployment. Introduction of a Technology Readiness Level-based categorization and a single vendor provision for specific equipment aims to further streamline procurement.

Innovations include dual-stage trials and enhancements to the Fast Track Procedure with decentralized decision-making for emergent tech procurements. Compensation for vendors passing trial evaluations and refined partner selection for DRDO projects have also been introduced to ensure fairness.

Projects under Make and iDEX now feature spiral development and promise five years of assured orders. Services can choose a Quality Assurance trial mode to hasten timelines, with the draft emphasizing timeline monitoring from the RFI stage to decrease acquisition cycle duration.

Suggestions and comments on the draft, now available on the Ministry's website, are solicited from all stakeholders. (ANI)