Facilities management contracts worth £117m to support US Visiting Forces come into action
United States Forces stationed in the UK will benefit from £117m worth of new contracts to deliver repair and maintenance services to bases.
A US Air Force F-22 Raptor takes off from RAF Lakenheath en route to Poland (Airman Seleena Muhammed-Ali, US Air Force)
The contracts, awarded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) came into force on 1 December, having been awarded in June 2022.
They provide hard facilities management services to United States (US) Air Force bases at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Croughton, RAF Molesworth, RAF Alconbury, RAF Fairford and RAF Menwith Hill.
The contracts support current and future operational requirements by providing property maintenance, repairs, servicing, and hard facilities management to buildings used by the US Forces, as well as housing at Lakenheath.
VIVO Defence was awarded the contracts for RAF Lakenheath, RAF Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, RAF Croughton, RAF Fairford and RAF Menwith Hill. Mitie was awarded the contract for RAF Mildenhall.
The 100th Air Refueling Headquarters at RAF Mildenhall (Airman 1st Class Brandon Esau, US Air Force)
The contracts, which also include the provision for a further £46m in additional works, have been developed in close collaboration with the US Air Force to ensure that the needs of the users on each base have been fully considered.
Lessons learned from the delivery of previous FM services have helped shape the new contracts, which incorporate best practice and recognised industry standards.
Tender evaluations were weighted to quality rather than price with the contracts designed to deliver an improved service through more effective and collaborative contract management.
David Brewer, DIO’s Chief Operating Officer said:
Cooperation between the US and UK is as important now as it has ever been. The presence of US Forces in the UK is of vital strategic importance as part of our shared commitment to NATO and the defence of Europe.
I am proud of all the work DIO does to support the United States Visiting Forces, ranging from delivering major construction to support military capabilities to the provision of accommodation for service men and women. These new contracts are a further step forward in improving the quality of service we provide to our US partners.
Brigadier General George Dietrich, Director of Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection for US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, said:
We have worked closely with DIO and our new industry partners to launch this new phase of facility maintenance at our installations. Our joint partnership with DIO is key to delivering infrastructure related services to support US Visiting Forces, their families, and our vital missions in the United Kingdom. We value our long-standing relationship with DIO and look forward to its continuation in the future.
Jerry Moloney, Managing Director of VIVO Defence Services, said:
Our mobilisation team has been working closely with DIO and the USVF in readiness for the start date.
We are a key supplier for DIO and the MoD and it is great to carry out these services for the American air force on their behalf, we are really looking forward to bringing about improvements where we can.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the 250 new colleagues we are taking on to deliver these services and look forward to everyone across VIVO working with them to add real value to the contract.
Brian Talbot, Managing Director, Central Government & Defence, for Mitie, said:
We’re delighted to be continuing our support for DIO as we kickstart this new contract with the United States Air Force at RAF Mildenhall. By bringing together our exceptional colleagues, our experience supporting the Armed Forces, and our innovative technology solutions, we’re excited to be working alongside the US Air Force and helping to improve facilities management services on site.
The contracts are for three years, with the potential to extend by a further two, based on performance, and are expected to come into service in December 2022.