Balfour Beatty : Working in partnership to keep vital defence construction capability intact

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10 July 2018

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, today published its paper 'Defence construction: keeping vital capability intact'.

The bespoke capability in the UK defence construction and infrastructure industry, which has been developed over many years, should be protected and developed and considered when awarding contracts. Failure to do so risks the loss of this capability.

In its latest paper, Balfour Beatty draws on its unrivalled knowledge and expertise in delivering defence infrastructure to outline a range of practical suggestions required to enhance the UK's military capability and address the challenges of the future.

Balfour Beatty believes that engaging in ongoing dialogue with commissioning authorities, building a greater understanding of client requirements and utilising new technologies and techniques, will help drive efficiencies and deliver best-value solutions over the longer-term.

Dean Burgess, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty's Build and Defence capability, said: 'If we are to future-proof our defence construction capability, we must change the ways in which we work with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).

'As major contracts increase in size and complexity, the UK needs a strongly invested, sovereign construction capability to deliver them. While there is no quick fix, we believe it is by developing close working relationships with the MoD's frontline commands, and truly understanding their needs and requirements, that we will meet the needs of the military, today and tomorrow.'

To read the paper in full, please click here.

ENDS

Media enquiries to:

Vivienne DunnBalfour Beatty
+44 (0)207 963 2150
vivienne.dunn@balfourbeatty.com
www.balfourbeatty.com | follow us @balfourbeatty

All non-media related enquiries should be directed to +44 (0)20 7216 6800 orinfo@balfourbeatty.com

Notes to editors:

• Balfour Beatty (balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 28,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
• Our main geographies are the UK & Ireland, US and Far East. Over the last 100 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including the London Olympics' Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong's first Zero Carbon building, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
• Balfour Beatty is a leading provider of defence infrastructure to the armed forces in the UK and of military housing and federal buildings in the US. Our association with the sector began with our involvement in the airfields used in the 1940 Battle of Britain. In the subsequent decades, we have played a pivotal role in supporting the armed forces by delivering high security infrastructure.
• In the UK, we have delivered numerous projects through the £700 million Defence Infrastructure Organisation's (DIO) Next Generation Estates Contract Framework for Capital Works, the Allenby Connaught project for Aspire Defence through which Balfour Beatty has delivered in excess of £110 million of defence infrastructure construction works and through four of the existing Regional Prime Contracts as construction delivery partner.
• Other significant defence projects include the visiting US Air Forces (USAF) £280 million housing programme for which we were sole framework partner for ten years and £160 million of construction works for Flagship, the Prime Contractor delivering the Royal Navy's Training Estate Programme, which included the completion of over 1,500 single living accommodation units and the delivery of heavy engineering and cabling works to the new Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier Alliance (BAE Systems, Thales, Babcock, DE&S).
• On behalf of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, Balfour Beatty has delivered the £150m Ministry of Defence's Lyneham 1,200 acre training facility, the construction of the new £42m A400M Hangar at RAF Brize Norton and a series of Typhoon relocation projects at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. The company is currently on site at RAF Marham in Norfolk, building engineering and training facilities for the UK's first F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
• Balfour Beatty is a proud signatory of the UK's Armed Forces Covenant (Gold) which includes a number of commitments to the Armed Forces and Reservists. In August 2017 Balfour Beatty received a 'Gold Award' under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). Balfour Beatty Group have an internal Armed Forces steering group which includes colleagues who are former members are the Armed Forces. The forum oversees our Covenant commitments and continuously involved with support initiatives which includes BuildForce, the UK initiative to encourage Service Leavers or Veterans make the transition from military life to fulfilling careers in construction.