FM hardships for reservists and cadets extended

Above: HMS Scotia, the main unit of the Royal Naval Reserve in the east of Scotland, based within HMS Caledonia.
Courtesy of DIO / MoD / Crown Copyright

Existing Built Estate MoD contracts, which provide Hard FM services to Defence sites across the UK, have been extended to include an additional 1,622 sites supported by Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCA). These sites are known as Volunteer Estates (VE) and will receive key maintenance, repair, servicing and Hard FM work.

The adoption of Built Estate arrangements across VE will help to achieve better value for money and a higher standard of service for users, enabling RFCA to leverage the benefits of the arrangements already in place across its regular estate. These benefits include adopting industry best practice maintenance standards; improved compliance with health and safety regulations; and using improved technology to inform and manage service delivery.

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

James Crosfield, Senior Owner at DIO responsible for the VE Value For Money Study, said: “This change was a common sense move to align all defence outcomes with the same contractual terms and outcome sizes.

“Working with suppliers and RFCA has allowed us to share best practice between all parties. This allows for better value for money and sets a standard across the Defence Estate, so we welcome this change.”

Major General (Retired) Jamie Gordon, Chief Executive of the Council Reserves Forces’ and Cadets’ Association, said: “Today we are starting work with new contractors to provide Hard Facilities Management at the Volunteer Estate. Through this new contract we will continue to ensure that the Volunteer Estate remains safe and functional for all reservists and cadets to work and train on.

“This is just one of the changes we have made to ensure we provide the best support to the UK’s reservists and cadets, as we have done for the past 116 years.”

Jerry Moloney, CEO of VIVO Defence Services, said: “We look forward to offering asset and facilities management services across 8 of the 13 Volunteer Estate regions in the UK.

“Since we started trading two years ago, we have grown into one of the largest providers of property services to the UK military and are committed to supporting the development of our country’s defence capabilities through innovation and new ways of working.

“Working for the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association and helping 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.”

Grant Cristall, Regional Director for VINCI Facilities Defence, said: “The VINCI Facilities Defence team are looking forward to delivering Hard FM services across the Volunteer Estate covering Greater London and the South East of England.

“The launch of this agreement transfers the learning from the current framework and our regional Built Estate contract and service delivery to the Volunteer Estate.

“We fully support the shared ambition to enhance the Volunteer Estate and our team looks forward to working with RFCA organisations across Greater London and the South East, as well as our defence sector colleagues, to develop this nationally strategic military infrastructure asset.”

Charlie Antelme, Managing Director of Mitie Defence, added: “As a dedicated supporter of the British Armed Forces, we are proud to mark another major 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 facility transformation and ensuring that both Reserve Forces and cadets benefit from an efficient, safe and well-maintained estate in which to live, work and train.”

The decision to change the terms of the contract was made following extensive stakeholder consultation and the completion of a viability study to determine whether Hard FM’s requirements could be met more cost-effectively by Built Estate suppliers or through previous arrangements.

Since the change was announced in December 2023, contractors have been preparing to expand their services to new sites to provide safe places to work and exercise for reserve forces and cadets.