News
August 1st 2024
New hard facilities management arrangements for Reserves and Cadets come into force
New arrangements to provide hard facilities management (HFM) to Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites used by Reserves and Cadets across the country have come into effect today.
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 contract which covers the East Midlands was awarded to VIVO Defence Services by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the MOD’s operating arm for estates, in 2021.
The amendment sees sites, which are supported by East Midlands Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association (EMRFCA) 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 EMRFCA sites will not only achieve better value for money, but also deliver a higher standard of service for users by enabling EMRFCA 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.
Supporting the Reserves and Cadets since 1908
Major General (Retired) 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.
“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.”
Jerry Moloney, Chief Executive Officer, VIVO Defence Services, added: “We are really looking forward to providing asset and facilities management services across 8 of the Volunteer Estate’s 13 UK regions.
“Since we started operations 2 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.”
Background
The decision to change the contract arrangements followed significant consultation with stakeholders and the completion of a value for money study to determine if HFM requirements could be met most cost effectively by Built Estate suppliers or through the previous arrangements.
The change was announced in December 2023 and the contractors have spent the intervening time preparing to extend their services to the new sites in their regions.
