UK: DIO awards £117m worth of contracts to support US Visiting Forces

The contracts, awarded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), will 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 will 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.

They were awarded to; VIVO Defence for RAF Lakenheath, RAF Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, RAF Croughton, RAF Fairford and RAF Menwith Hill, and to Mitie for RAF Mildenhall.

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:

We are proud of our relationship with the US Air Force and want to ensure we are providing them with the best possible service.

These contracts represent a step-change in how we deliver facilities management services to the US Visiting Forces and we have worked closely with our US colleagues to design these new contracts to ensure they reflect their needs.

Brigadier General George Dietrich, Director of Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection for US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, said:

The award of these new base maintenance contracts are a very welcome and important step for US Forces in the United Kingdom. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with DIO over the life of this contract and beyond.

Jerry Moloney, Managing Director of VIVO Defence Services, said

We are delighted that VIVO has been awarded these contracts. This important award reinforces our position as a key supplier to DIO and Defence. We are grateful to the MOD and DIO for the trust they are placing in us and look forward to continuing to build on our parent companies’ existing relationships with the United States Visiting Forces.

Brian Talbot, Managing Director, Central Government & Defence, for Mitie, said:

We are delighted to have been awarded this new contract by DIO and are proud to support the United States Air Force 100th Air Refueling Wing based at RAF Mildenhall. We look forward to improving these important services by empowering our exceptional colleagues on the ground and deploying our industry-leading technology.

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.