New arrangements to provide Hard Facilities Management (HFM) to Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites used by reserves and cadets have come into effect today (1 August 2024).
The MOD’s existing Built Estate contracts, which provide HFM services to Defence sites across the UK, were amended to add the additional sites into their scope. The Built Estate contracts were awarded to Mitie Defence, VIVO Defence Services and VINCI Facilities Defence by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) in 2021.
The amendment sees 1,622 sites, which are supported by the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCA) and are known as the Volunteer Estate, receive key maintenance work, repairs, servicing and hard facilities management through the existing MOD Built Estate contracts.
The adoption of the Built Estate arrangements across the RFCA sites will not only achieve better value for money, but also deliver a higher standard of service for users by enabling the RFCA to build on the benefits of the contracts already in use across the Regular Estate.
These benefits include the adoption of industry best practice maintenance standards, improved health and safety compliance and the use of improved technology to inform and manage the delivery of services.
Maj Gen (Retd) Jamie Gordon, Chief Executive, Council Reserves Forces’ and Cadets’ Association said:
“Today, we go live with new contractors to deliver Hard Facilities Management across the Volunteer Estate (VE). Through this new contact, we will continue to ensure that the Volunteer Estate remains safe and functional for all reserves and cadets to work and train. This is but one of the changes that we enacted so that we can deliver the best support to the UK’s reserves and cadets, as we have done over the past 116 years.”
James Crosfield, DIO’s Senior Responsible Owner for the Volunteer Estate Value For Money Study said:
“This change was a common-sense move to bring all Defence outputs to the same contractual conditions and outputs. Working with suppliers and the RFCAs has allowed us to share best practice between all parties. This allows improved valued for money and a set standard across the Defence estate, so we welcome the change.”
Grant Cristall, VINCI Facilities Defence’s Regional Director said:
“VINCI Facilities’ Defence team is looking forward to delivering Hard FM services to the Volunteer Estate covering Greater London and the South East of England.
“The commencement of this arrangement brings learnings from the current framework and our regional Built Estate contract mobilisation and service delivery, to the Volunteer Estate.
“We are fully supportive of the jointly held ambition to improve the Volunteer Estate and to help ensure we provide safe places for our Reserve Forces and Cadets to work and train.
“Our team is looking forward to collaboratively working with the RFCA organisations across Greater London and the South East, and also colleagues across Defence in the development of these nationally strategic military infrastructure assets.”
Colonel (Retired) Patrick Crowley MBE DL, Chief Executive, South East Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association said:
“I am delighted that the new method of delivery for Estate has begun today, 1 August 2024. My thanks to all of our Estates team and the liaison group from VINCI, who have worked so hard to put this in place.”
