Mace, Turner & Townsend and Atkins team secure place on £5.1bn defence estate optimisation framework

A consortium of Mace, Turner & Townsend and Atkins (MTA) has been appointed by the Ministry of Defence as a Technical Service Provider on its Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio framework.

With the appointment – recently confirmed at a signing ceremony with senior delegates – the three firms will operate as a single, coordinated team, supporting the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to develop, construct and integrate value for money solutions in the West of England and Wales region.

Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) is the single biggest estates change programme within defence, bringing together an ambitious portfolio of interdependent programmes, construction activity, unit and personnel moves, and land release. It will invest £5.1bn in a better-structured, modern and more sustainable estate that improves security, resilience, and military capability.

The Mace-led team will provide design assurance and construction management services for this critical infrastructure portfolio as a sole supplier across the West of England and Wales region.

The trio, which already serves as delivery partner on the US Visiting Forces Infrastructure Programme at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and RAF Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire, will work to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), the part of the MoD that will oversee the framework.

Baroness Goldie DL, Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords, said:

“The Estate Optimisation portfolio is fundamental to the future of Defence. From service, and family living accommodation, to specialist facilities such as hangars, command headquarters and medical facilities, this is the largest and most ambitious Defence infrastructure investment portfolio that we have as a department. At the heart of this is making life better for our people.

“I am proud of the hard work that has gone into establishing these two contracts which are central to this programme’s successful delivery. This is a once in a generation opportunity to deliver significant change, and I for one am delighted to sign on the dotted line.”

Jason Millett, CEO for Mace Consult, said:

“The enthusiasm at the signing ceremony left no doubt as to the importance of this programme to the MoD. Not only is it ambitious in its scale, but in its desire to drive innovation and advancements in the decarbonisation space. This makes it a perfect fit for Mace, aligning neatly with the consultancy work we carry out in the defence sector and more broadly.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to transform the buildings and infrastructure that support defence personnel across the country and we can’t wait to get started with the DIO and our partners.”

Andy Scott, MD for Turner & Townsend Defence, said:

“This appointment builds upon the excellent partnership and collaborative work to date between ourselves, Mace, Atkins, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and Top Level Budget Holders (TLB’s).

“We look forward to building on this relationship to further support the DIO and TLB’s drive to progress the live, train and work environment of our Armed forces and help optimise the Defence Estate.”

Andrew Albutt, Head of Defence Infrastructure for Atkins UK & Europe, said:

“This optimisation programme represents a significant step in the MoD’s journey towards meeting its future challenges, by delivering a modern, secure and sustainable estate - fit for purpose for the people living and working within it.

“Atkins will provide engineering services for design work technical assurance, building on our strengths across the Defence sector, including efforts to identify cost-effective routes to decarbonise infrastructure and meet net zero targets.

“The consortium brings together a highly skilled group from leading UK companies and we’re very much looking forward to being part of this hugely important infrastructure investment programme.”