Army's construction vehicles boosted by £240-million contract
The military's fleet of bulldozers, cranes and forklifts will soon be refreshed thanks to a £240-million maintenance contract.
A MITER vehicle in action on Op TRENTON in South Sudan. Crown copyright.
The fleet - known as MITER - is a valuable asset in peace time activities and operations around the world. In recent years the equipment has been used to help with recovery following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Dorian in the Caribbean, during major flooding incidents in the UK and supporting the military response to COVID-19 by loading and off-loading vital medical supplies from distribution centres.
Now a new seven-year contract has been awarded to AmeyBriggs to maintain, manage and support the MOD’s fleet of construction and mechanical vehicles.
Vehicles in the MITER fleet include excavators, bulldozers, cranes and forklift trucks and meet the MOD’s need for earth-moving, engineer construction and mechanical handling capabilities.
Offering MOD £136-million in savings over the next 10 years, the contract will also sustain jobs across the UK.
Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said:
Our Armed Forces deserve the best equipment for their vital operations, both in the UK and right across the world. From humanitarian support to keeping our country safe, construction and mechanical vehicles are a key asset for defence.
This contract is the result of excellent industry collaboration, and I am pleased that we are continuing to support jobs across the country.
The contract was negotiated by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the MOD. MITER sees three existing contracts - Defence Mechanical Handling Equipment, Protected Engineering Equipment and C-Vehicle capability - brought under one umbrella contract.
This is part of defence’s “Whole Force” approach, which puts equipment, personnel for military tasks, new information systems and infrastructure support under one arrangement.
Simon Herrington, who led the DE&S team securing the contract, said:
This has been a culmination of five years hard work with a small dedicated project team assisted with subject matter experts and a very good working relationship with the Army as lead customer.
This hard work and collaborative working has resulted in the project being able to declare a £136-million efficiency for DE&S and the Army, a really great achievement.
AmeyBriggs is a new joint venture between infrastructure support service provider Amey plc and Briggs Defence, a specialist division of asset management and engineering services provider Briggs Equipment.
Under MITER, AmeyBriggs will not only manage and maintain this key equipment, but also provide support for military personnel to ensure safe and effective use.
Major General Simon Hamilton CBE, Army Director Support said:
I’m particularly enthusiastic about Project MITER. We have taken three previous overlapping mechanisms for provision of Mechanical Handling Equipment, Construction and Protected Plant and melded them into one to achieve efficiencies.
Moreover, we have designed-in contractual innovation and flexibility by integrating a fleet of military, leased and hired equipment; this means we only pay for what we need when we need it, but can scale-up quickly as necessary; we will also benefit from emerging technologies as they develop. Importantly, MITER embraces a Whole Force Approach, presenting opportunities for enhancing the skills of both regular and reserve personnel.
To manage the contract, around 180 staff and supply chain partners will be transferred into AmeyBriggs from the current support teams which brings together a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience.
Chris Bushell, Director General (Land) at DE&S said:
The successful contract award for MITER is an excellent example of DE&S and industry working closely together to deliver an innovative solution. This will provide the Armed Forces with a key capability, to deliver operational effect all over the world, on time and at a price that represents great value for money.