Four new contracts worth £1.6-billion have been awarded to industry delivering crucial building maintenance and hard facilities repair services across the UK defence estate.

Forming part of the first phase of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) programme, the contracts cover 31,000 units and will support facilities at more than 400 Defence sites across the UK, including RAF Lossiemouth, Catterick, Andover, and Britannia Royal Naval College.

The contracts awarded will create and sustain thousands of jobs across the UK, including more than 340 in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The investment will also ensure that small and medium enterprises across the UK are supported through the Defence supply chain.

The seven-year contracts include:

• Mitie: £160-million for facilities across Scotland and Northern Ireland

• Vivo: £558-million for the central region of the UK including Wales, the Midlands and the North of England. Vivo has also been awarded a £336 million contract for facilities delivery in the South West of England

• Vinci: £423-million for the South East of England

Facilities management covers maintenance of defence buildings, accommodation and training facilities across the UK estate, including plumbing and electrical works, and offering general infrastructural repair services.

Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin said:

Our people are at the heart of what we do and these contracts will deliver key services and facilities management for our Armed Forces personnel based around the country.

Helping to modernise and transform the Defence estate, the programme will also support thousands of jobs across the UK.

As announced by the Prime Minister last November, Defence has received an increase in funding of over £24-billion across the next four years. Further outlined in the Defence Command Paper, this investment reaffirms the MOD’s commitment to maximise the use of Defence estate and prioritise funding for critical infrastructure.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation Chief Operating Officer (DIO), David Brewer said:

We are passionate about the work we do every day to support the armed forces and their families across the whole of the UK.      The Future Defence Infrastructure Contracts for the Built Estate represent an increased investment in maintenance by the MOD and will offer improved response times and increase the amount of planned maintenance.

I am pleased to announce the successful suppliers. I look forward to working with these industry leading organisations to continue the work we are doing to improve the service we deliver for our Servicemen and women.

The Built Estate contracts will create and sustain thousands of jobs and protect local supply chains throughout the UK.

DIO is committed to building a broader and more diverse supply base, working with both larger companies and SMEs through our supply chain to support local industry and deliver the facilities that the military need to live, work, train and deploy.

DIO is committed to improving the services it delivers to its Armed Forces customers and the FDIS Programme is doing this by incorporating customer insight into plans, digitalising services and processes where possible, and building stronger relationships with suppliers.

As part of FDIS, these contracts are the first of 10 that will be awarded between now and 2022. The later phases of the FDIS programme will see further contracts awarded for Accommodation Services and the management and maintenance of the UK Defence Training Estate.

Sam Woods has been reappointed for a second term of five years to 30 June 2026.

As the Bank’s Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation, Sam Woods has specific responsibility for the prudential regulation and supervision of banks, building societies, credit unions, insurers and major investment firms.

He sits on the Bank’s Court of Directors, the Financial Policy Committee, the Prudential Regulation Committee, and the Board of the Financial Conduct Authority.

The Chancellor of Exchequer, Rishi Sunak said:

I am very pleased to announce the reappointment of Sam Woods. Sam continues to bring a vast amount of knowledge, skill and experience to the Bank. He has played a vital role in the response to the challenges posed during Covid-19 and will continue to do so.

The Bank of England Governor, Andrew Bailey said:

I am delighted that Sam will serve a second term as Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation and Chief Executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority. Sam has done an excellent job and his reappointment is important at a time when we are responding to the challenges of Covid and embarking on a significant period of regulatory reform. I very much look forward to continuing to work with him.

About the appointment

The Bank of England is the central bank of the UK. It is governed by a board of directors known as the Court of Directors. Further information can be found at the Bank of England website.

Members of Court are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the appointment process.

About Sam Woods

Sam Woods has served as Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation since 30 June 2016. He was previously the Executive Director of Insurance Supervision at the PRA. He joined the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in 2011 and transferred with it to the Bank in 2013.

He has served as Director for Financial Stability Strategy and Risk, and Director for Domestic UK Banks Supervision. Before joining the FSA/Bank, he spent ten years at HM Treasury in a variety of roles, including Secretary, Independent Commission on Banking, 2010 to 2011 and COO of UK Financial Investments, 2008 to 2010.

Prior to joining HM Treasury, Sam worked in the private sector from 1995 to 2001, for Diageo and McKinsey and Company.

The recruitment drive comes as the government pushes its priority on science and technology (S&T) for defence and security.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is investing £6 billion in research and development over the next 4 years, and includes an additional £1.1 billion specifically for science and technology and pull through activities. It’s part of the government’s announcement ‘to sustain strategic advantage through S&T’ in the recent Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.

This is a significant uplift not just for Dstl, but for industry and academia too.

Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin said:

Our over £6 billion investment into research and development is central to the evolution of defence and security. This will ensure MOD science and technology programmes upgrade and adapt our forces to meet a range of future threats.

The Dstl recruitment campaign paves the way for the next generation of highly-skilled scientists to work on sophisticated projects designing and engineering pioneering military equipment.

Around 300 new positions are to be advertised at Dstl throughout June, July and August, with further positions expected in 2022.

Dstl is recruiting!

MOD Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean FRS, stated:

Through this investment, the government has demonstrated its commitment to UK science and technology. This not only benefits recruitment at our Dstl sites but 80% of the investment will be going out to industry and academia to help us deliver key capabilities for UK defence and security.

There is a wide range of opportunities available, from Space to Sensing, Cyber and Electronics, C4 (Command and Control, Communications and Computers), Data and AI. Dstl is looking for people who are inquisitive and have technical expertise, particularly those who have previously worked in the S&T field who might never have considered working in defence and security before. Roles include project leaders, engineers, scientists, analysts, physicists and technologists.

Dstl’s Interim Chief Executive Doug Umbers, said:

This is great news, not just for science and innovation, but for those wishing to start a career in Defence and Security. The work we do here is like no other and in some cases cannot be done anywhere outside of Defence. Those who join us at Dstl will be a vital part of providing national security at home and abroad.

Meet our staff

Case Study: Dstl Careers – From art to engineering

Case Study: Dstl Careers – Meet scientist Louise, flying high in her scientific career

Case Study: Dstl Careers – Meet Steve, a physicist and group leader in Platform Systems

Case Study: Dstl Careers – Omar, doing hands-on science in electro-optic countermeasures

For more stories and experiences of working here, meet the people inside Dstl.

We are Dstl

We are Dstl