Article 14 December 2022

Reflecting on the Built Estate contract successes, one year on

We’ve recently reached the one-year milestone at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s Built Estate contract, which has seen us as one of three suppliers delivering a series of improvements to support the Armed Forces at 400 defence sites across the UK.

Our approach across these sites has prioritised innovation as we deliver hard facilities management, with a clear goal of improving efficiency for the DIO and supporting the important infrastructure which enables the Armed Forces to carry out their roles.

To help us share knowledge and ideas, a ‘Supplier’s Alliance’ has been established, which improves delivery across the whole Estate as we can act collaboratively as one team. This approach also includes a big focus on sustainability and the delivery of CO2 reduction.

David Brewer, DIO’s Chief Operating Officer said the Built Estate’s one-year on successes are born out of great partnerships and embracing new ways of working.

He said: “I’m really delighted to be where we are with the Built Estate contract one year on. It feels like there is a genuine partnership between our Armed Forces customers, DIO and our suppliers and all those involved have really bought into the dynamic nature of this contract, particularly the key elements that have enabled us to better understand the estate assets, prioritise tasks and deliver preventative maintenance and repairs in a more timely fashion.

“All three contractors have shown great enterprise and initiative in the way they have approached the challenges we have faced so far, and everybody has got a common view of what good looks like, and everybody’s really committed to driving improvements.

“What we’ve got in the first year is a really good foundation for what we expect, and hope, will be very significant improvements throughout the life of the contracts.”

Our contract supports an impressive 4,400 Defence buildings across Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the first 100 days of the contract, one of our focuses was on small jobs which would improve the welfare of service personnel and enhance the appearance of sites. The team undertook an incredible 523 improvement works in that time, investing over £250,000 to really make a difference to the service personnel.

We have also worked to reduce waste and increase recycling across the sites. Between April and November 2022, 100% of waste was diverted from landfill and 39 tonnes of CO2 saved – enough to power 15,431 homes for a day! Additionally, 721 trees have been saved by recycling paper and cardboard.

Steven Ellison, Mitie Managing Director, S&NI FDIS Programme, said:

“Mapping to the DIO’s new contract operating model, we led the way in their mission to provide a Better Estate, Better Service and Better Business of the built estate. Our journey in this first year has proven that collaboration and teamwork across all sectors can realise change for the better.

From CAFM Integration to the 100 Day Challenge, we are proud of our achievements and our role in ensuring the FDIS estates are safe and operationally effective and improving the lived experience for all occupiers and users across Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

Air Commodore Adrian Portlock, the RAF’s Assistant Chief of Staff Infrastructure, said:

“It has been 12 months since the first of the Built Estate contracts went live and the benefits of moving away from the previous ‘fix or fail’ contract to one focused on preventative maintenance are starting to be realised across the Defence Estate.

“We have worked collaboratively with DIO and all the providers to increase delivery capacity, make processes more efficient, and leverage innovation across the contracts. This should yield even greater benefit as we move into the second year.”

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