INTERVIEW DEFENCE INFRASTRUCTURE
MILITARY PROVISION
Sara Bean talks to David Brewer, COO of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), who explains
the huge benefi ts of a recent overhaul to the procurement of MoD training estate, built estate and
accommodation contracts, worth around £3 billion per annum
FMJ recently reported that the Defence Infrastructure Organisation
(DIO) - the part of the Ministry of Defence responsible for
infrastructure, including military housing, training and construction,
had announced the shortlist of the FM services providers for its new Training
Estates Services Framework Agreement. The successful contractors have
the opportunity to tender for a range of facilities management services
such as engineering and building maintenance, as well as specific defencerelated
requirements including specialist land, training area and rural estate
management services.
The announcement heralds a new way of working for a key public sector
department with an average spend of around £3 billion per annum in both the UK
and overseas. The Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) programme will
change how it approaches projects in the future, by increasing the number and
range of suppliers, and enabling small and medium-sized firms as well as larger
suppliers to bid.
24 JULY 2020
Says David Brewer, Chief Operating O icer for the DIO: “The DIO provides
everything from security services at ministry establishments to the catering,
cleaning, engineering and maintenance. It looks a er a massive training estate
covering around two per cent of the UK land area and approximately 169 sites of
special scientific interest. It’s also responsible for running large training areas in
places like Canada and Kenya.
“We also have an important role in ensuring we provide the right environment
for our service men and women to live and work. Our broad remit is to look a er
the service family accommodation, comprising around 60,000 homes around the
world. We’ve got approximately 45,000 buildings in total that we look a er and
one of the most extraordinary things about our role is its breadth, variety and
complexity. We are even responsible for a care home for military veterans”
Added to this says Brewer: “We undertake all sorts of major projects. This year
we’ve completed work on the Army Basing Programme supporting nearly 100
Army units to relocate to the UK from Germany and dockside infrastructure for the