BAE Systems, one of the six original members of Corporate United, is the premier global defense and aerospace company. The company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems’ sales exceeded US $31.4 billion (£15.7 billion) in 2007.

 In 2001, the initial supporters of the group purchasing approach moved on, and Mr. Bent decided to champion Corporate United within BAE Systems. He found himself tasked not only with introducing Corporate United to the organization, but also with dispelling the concerns of working with a consortium. “Now, our people are extremely comfortable with Corporate United and constantly look for ways to get involved,” Mr. Bent explains.  “There is a good match between the offerings of Corporate United and some of the requirements that we have at BAE Systems, Inc. The relationship between the two organizations continues to grow stronger, and we are extremely pleased to witness the growing footprint of Corporate United.”

Throughout his thirty years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry, Mr. Bent’s primary focus has been subcontracts, commodity management, procurement and operations. He is currently the Vice President of Strategic Sourcing of all of BAE Systems, Inc. – which means responsibility for all common indirect procurement, much of which Corporate United addresses – and Vice President of Operations for the San Diego-based NS/C3I business.  Of the agreements that Corporate United offers, BAE Systems participates on: flowers and gifts, industrial supplies, multi-functional devices, office products, pharmacy benefits management, relocation services, and safety supplies. Says Mr. Bent, “To most of our users, it is transparent that we are utilizing Corporate United; it has become an extension of our Commodity Management Organization.  For example, the human resources department has been a strong supporter of our Corporate United relationship since the success of the Medco [pharmacy benefits] agreement.”

Dennis Bent sees Corporate United as a “logical extension of procurement’s desire to leverage spend with the supply base and drive to a smaller set of highly preferred suppliers.” A firm believer in the value that membership in Corporate United offers, Mr. Bent is also a member of the newly formed advisory board. Speaking on the first meeting of the board, he commented that, “the meeting was a very positive session. It was good to get together with companies that share like interests and have a common understanding of the Corporate United value proposition. There was a lot of synergy among the members on what Corporate United should move forward with and how.”

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Thank you to Dennis Bent and BAE Systems, Inc. for your dedication to Corporate United.  We are pleased to have Dennis on our Member Advisory Board and look forward to many more years of partnership with BAE Systems.