JOSCAR

JOSCAR — the register a defence buyer checks before they talk to you

The shared supplier due-diligence register for UK aerospace, defence and security, and what being on it does and does not prove.

Registration lasts twelve months and must be renewed. An entry announced years ago is not evidence of a current one — which is why this site states Intepro UK's own 2016 entry as a dated fact and nothing more.

Why this reaches the test bench

JOSCAR is where a prime's procurement team looks before a conversation starts, so for a sub-tier supplier it is often the gate rather than the paperwork. It is also the reason a single questionnaire can serve fifty buyers instead of fifty separate assurance requests.

What gets tested

Stage 1 — company details, policies and core compliance. Free to all suppliers, and typically under an hour
Stage 2 — a dynamic assurance questionnaire, required for critical goods and services
Stage 2 is free below £1m annual turnover; above that an annual fee applies, discounted for ADS members under £5m
Validation by Hellios can take up to five working days

Also current

The questionnaire covers personnel, cyber security, safety assurance, legal, financial, insurance, supply chain, quality, health and safety, environment, business continuity and data privacy. Your answers are visible to participating buying organisations, never to other suppliers.

A document you can actually read

JOSCAR is operated by Hellios Information Ltd and was established by ADS Group, the trade body for UK aerospace, defence, security and space. Its supplier guidance is public.

Careful

Being on JOSCAR proves a questionnaire was completed and validated. It is not a certification, it does not assess your product, and it does not substitute for the Cyber Security Model — a buyer will still assign you a Cyber Risk Profile and expect a Supplier Assurance Questionnaire against Def Stan 05-138.

Sources

Working with our Suppliers — what is JOSCAR — Hellios Information Ltd. Retrieved 2026-09-06.Supports: Established by ADS Group, administered by Hellios; two-stage process; Stage 2 free below £1m turnover, ADS discount below £5m; twelve-month validity; questionnaire coverage
JOSCAR Suppliers Help & Support — Hellios Information Ltd. Retrieved 2026-09-06.Supports: Annual renewal with six weeks' notice; validation up to five working days; Stage 1 free; supplier answers visible only to buying organisations
Intepro UK now part of joint supply chain accreditation register — Electronics for Engineers. Retrieved 2026-09-06.Supports: Intepro UK's own JOSCAR entry, announced March 2016

Issue numbers and transition dates move, and several in this field are still quoted wrongly. The compliance calendar tracks the dates that moved, the ones that quietly passed, and thirteen this market repeats wrongly — each against the instrument it comes from.