New hard FM arrangements commence for MOD Reserves and Cadets sites

New arrangements to provide hard FM services to MOD sites used by reserves and cadets came into effect as of yesterday (1 August 2024).

The MOD’s existing Built Estate contracts, which provide hard FM services to defence sites across the UK, have been extended to an additional 1,622 sites supported by the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCA). Known as the Volunteer Estate (VE), the sites will receive key maintenance work, repairs, servicing and hard facilities management.

The Built Estate contracts were awarded in 2021 to VINCI Facilities, Mitie and VIVO Defence Services by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).

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.

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 Regional Director, Defence, 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.”

Charlie Antelme, Managing Director, Mitie Defence, said: “As a committed supporter of the UK’s Armed Forces, we’re proud to mark another great milestone in our long-standing, strategic partnership with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and extend our services to the Volunteer Estate. We look forward to bringing our technology-led approach to facilities transformation and ensuring that both reserve and cadet forces benefit from an efficient, safe, and well-maintained estate in which to live, work and train.”

Jerry Moloney, Chief Executive Officer of VIVO Defence Services, added: “We are really looking forward to providing asset and facilities management services across eight of the Volunteer Estate’s 13 UK regions.

“Since we started operations two years ago, we have grown to become one of the largest providers of estate services to the military in the UK, and are committed to helping enable our country’s defence capability through innovation and new ways of working.

“Working for the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association and assisting them in the important role they play for the MOD is really important to us, and I thank everyone involved during our mobilisation period for their hard work and support.”