Def Stan 00-600 explained: what it is and why it matters
15 Oct 2026.
Three parts.
One standard.
Applied, in tailored form, to MOD procurement projects.
So what is Def Stan 00-600 (the Ministry of Defence’s Integrated Logistic Support standard)? And why does it quietly shape how defence equipment is supported for decades?
Just imagine buying a complex system, then finding out nobody planned how to repair it, supply it or train people to use it. That is the problem this standard exists to prevent.
What it is, in plain English
Def Stan stands for Defence Standard. It is a document the MOD uses to say exactly what it expects from suppliers.
Def Stan 00-600 covers Integrated Logistic Support, or ILS.
ILS is a disciplined approach to managing whole life costs (what a system costs to buy, run, support and eventually retire, not just the price on day one).
So why does that matter?
Because the purchase price is often the smaller part of the bill.
ILS makes sure support is designed in from the start. Spares, maintenance, technical documentation, training and test equipment are planned alongside the equipment itself.
MOD policy is that ILS applies to procurement projects through a tailored use of 00-600, guided by the Defence Logistic Framework (the MOD’s own guidance on how to do it).
The three parts
The standard is split into three parts. Each has its own job.
| Part | Title | Issue cited in recent MOD tenders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ILS Requirements | Issue 4, 26 May 2022 |
| 2 | MOD Requirements for a Supportability Case | Issue 2, 14 Aug 2023 |
| 3 | Logistic Information Requirements | Issue 2, 28 Sept 2020 |
The first version, Issue 1, appeared in April 2018.
Part 1 sets out what ILS work is required.
Part 2 covers the Supportability Case (the evidence that a system can be supported as promised).
Part 3 covers the logistic information (the data that describes how the equipment will be supported).
Issue dates come from live MOD tender documents on Contracts Finder. Always check the latest issue before you bid.
What it asks of a contractor
In practice, a supplier on a MOD contract is asked to plan and prove the support story.
The tender documents point to a familiar set of deliverables:
- Integrated Support Plan (ISP). One plan showing how support will be delivered and managed.
- Support Analysis. Structured analysis of what the equipment needs to keep it working, often following ASD S3000L (an international procedure specification for logistic support analysis).
- Logistic Information Repository (LIR). A shared store of logistic data, so the MOD and the contractor work from the same facts.
- Logistic Control Numbers (LCN). The coding that ties each item of data back to its place in the equipment breakdown.
- Logistic Demonstration. Proof, before acceptance, that the support actually works.
Tailoring is part of the process.
Not every project needs every activity. Any deviation from the standard is agreed with the MOD ILS Manager rather than quietly dropped.
Why it matters to suppliers
If you want MOD work, 00-600 will turn up in the paperwork.
It appears in statements of work, schedules of requirements and support contracts. Miss it, and you can misprice a bid or promise something you cannot evidence.
I have seen this from the inside.
Earlier in my career I worked as an ILS engineer at Airbus Defence & Space, on NATO satellite programmes.
The lesson stuck. Support planned late costs more. Support planned early is nearly invisible, because it simply works.
And for smaller firms?
The standard looks heavy. But it is tailored. Understand which parts apply to your contract, and the workload becomes far more manageable.