A new £150 million contract to provide key services for the UK
Armed Forces serving in Germany and Italy has been awarded to
Mitie Defence Limited by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation
(DIO).
Covering the MOD’s military accommodation, as well as military
and adventurous training sites in Germany and a school and office
building in Italy, the contract will primarily provide hard
facilities management such as maintenance, repairs and servicing,
as well as limited soft facilities management including waste
disposal and laundry services.
This is the third contract to come into service under DIO’s new
Overseas Prime Contracts programme, following a contract which
came into service for Gibraltar in November 2022 and a hard
facilities management contract for sites in Cyprus awarded in
April 2023.
The contract will come into service next spring and will run for
an initial period of seven years, supporting companies within the
local supply chains of both nations.
Minister for Defence Procurement, said:
The vital work of our Armed Forces overseas relies upon the
successful management of our facilities.
From laundry and waste disposal to accommodation, contracts like
this enable our Armed Forces to continue their vital work in the
best possible facilities.
All of the new Overseas Prime Contracts have been developed
considering recommendations for improvements and will deliver a
better service for military personnel based overseas and their
dependants. They will provide better value for money and quicker
repairs, reducing bureaucracy and unnecessary processes to keep
the estate operational.
The contract will be more flexible and responsive to the needs of
service personnel and staff, allowing them to focus on their work
in the knowledge that they have safe and resilient infrastructure
to work from.
DIO’s Head of Overseas and Training Region, Brigadier Jonathan
Bartholomew, said:
We are delighted to announce the award of the Germany and wider
Europe contract to Mitie Defence Ltd. DIO is committed to
supporting people across the Armed Forces who depend on us to
provide facilities and essential services which allow them to
live and work safely and securely.
With the Overseas Prime Contract in Gibraltar already in service
and work ongoing to prepare for the transition to the new
contract in Cyprus, it’s great to mark another milestone for the
team with the award of this contract, which will provide an
improved service for military personnel and their families.
Major General Richard Clements CBE, Director of Basing and
Infrastructure, said:
The announcement of these contract awards is welcome news for
military personnel and their families based overseas. As a former
Commander of British Forces Germany, I know that wherever our
people are in the world, we must ensure that they have the right
services and infrastructure to enable them to do their job, while
delivering the quality of life that they deserve.
Greater alignment to current industry standards will mean
increased collaboration between DIO and its suppliers and allow
for services to be better tailored to the requirements of
specific sites. A new, integrated software system will also
enable information to be shared more effectively.
The contracts have been designed to promote more efficient
processes and the quicker delivery of high volume, lower value
works, ensuring increased value for money. Performance targets
will encourage a high standard of repairs and reduce the need for
repeat visits.
Brian Talbot, Managing Director, Central Government and Defence,
Mitie, said:
As a British business, we are proud to support the UK Armed
Forces in their crucial operations overseas, ensuring critical
infrastructure is maintained and upgraded, and accommodation
facilities are kept to a high standard to support the livelihoods
of military personnel and their families.
This new contract extends our long-standing relationship with the
DIO, and our focus will be to ensure that the infrastructure is
maintained and is available for the UK Armed Forces to project
military capability. Putting service families first is a high
priority, which is why we are also introducing new asset
management technology to improve their lived experience.
Our many years’ experience of providing services to the Defence
estate, in the UK and oversees, allow our colleagues to deliver
an exceptional standard of service, while adapting to changing
needs over the contract term.
The next Overseas Prime Contract to be awarded will be for soft
facilities services in Cyprus later this year, followed by a new
total facilities management contract for the South Atlantic
Islands in summer 2024.
