Defence Estates
Encyclopedia
Defence Infrastructure Organisation is an operating arm of the Ministry of Defence
(MoD), in the United Kingdom
, which is responsible for the built and rural estate. The organisation formed on 1 April 2011 after a reorganisation of the Ministry of Defence's bodies in charge of infrastructure. It controls 2,400 square kilometres, about 1% of the area of the UK (244,820 km²). As Defence Estates, it was an executive agency
of the Ministry of Defence until 2008.
Sir Timothy Laurence
, the husband of HRH The Princess Royal
; other previous chief executives include Sir Ian Andrews, a former Second Permanent Under Secretary, Ministry of Defence.
Management of this very large and diverse business relies on a multiplicity of partnerships, not only with industry but also with many Statutory Bodies and NGOs. It also requires an extremely close relationship with those who use the estate - the Armed Forces - to ensure that it meets the requirements to maintain operational capability.
It is based on Kingston Road in Whitehouse Common
, Sutton Coldfield
. There are other office sites at Andover
in Hampshire
, Tilshead
near Salisbury
in Wiltshire
, Waterbeach
in Cambridge
and Catterick Garrison
in North Yorkshire
.
s and airfields to forces housing and military training grounds. Many of these sites are of national heritage or of archaeological importance. The agency also has responsibility for the overseas estates of the MoD.
The majority of forces housing was sold to a private housing group (Annington Homes
) in 1996 and is leased back.
The agency’s mission is “to deliver estate solutions to defence needs”. Its vision, which follows on from this, is to “provide an estate of the right size and quality, which is managed and developed effectively in line with acknowledged best practice, and which is sensitive to social and environmental considerations”.
As a major client of the construction industry, it is a member of the Construction Clients' Group
.
, working towards focusing the Ministry's activities onto fewer, larger sites. Since 1998/1999 DE has disposed of land and facilities surplus to requirements to the value of £1.46 billion. In devising and implementing an agreed plan with its customers, DIO provides a corporate and long-term view of defence requirements consistent with the Estate Strategy. This will assist in focusing MoD’s use of and future investment in its estate, to meet defence requirements for an estate of the optimum size and quality.
The agency is pursuing a prime contracting initiative to provide better value for money; this involves fewer, larger contacts for the maintenance of the estate and projects. The maintenance of the UK estate will be carried out through five Regional Prime Contracts; in Scotland
, the South West, South East, Central and East
have already been let. The agency is also managing a variety of other large contracts, for example, providing for single living accommodation and the outsourcing of water and wastewater. Additionally, since 2004 the agency has been responsible for the maintenance of Service housing, this will be enhanced through the Housing Prime Contract, which was awarded in late 2005. From April 2006 the Agency took responsibility for the functional prime contract for delivering estate services to the Army Training Estate across the UK. Additionally, DIO provides worldwide estate security services to the MoD through its Security Services Group.
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
(MoD), in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which is responsible for the built and rural estate. The organisation formed on 1 April 2011 after a reorganisation of the Ministry of Defence's bodies in charge of infrastructure. It controls 2,400 square kilometres, about 1% of the area of the UK (244,820 km²). As Defence Estates, it was an executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
of the Ministry of Defence until 2008.
Administration
The agency is managed by its Chief Executive, currently Andrew Manley who succeeded Vice AdmiralVice Admiral (Royal Navy)
Vice admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It equates to the NATO rank code OF-8 and is immediately superior to rear admiral and is subordinate to the full admiral rank.The Royal Navy has had vice admirals since at least the 16th century...
Sir Timothy Laurence
Timothy Laurence
Vice Admiral Sir Timothy James Hamilton Laurence, KCVO, CB, ADC is a senior British naval officer and the second husband of HRH The Princess Royal, the only daughter of HM The Queen...
, the husband of HRH The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
; other previous chief executives include Sir Ian Andrews, a former Second Permanent Under Secretary, Ministry of Defence.
Management of this very large and diverse business relies on a multiplicity of partnerships, not only with industry but also with many Statutory Bodies and NGOs. It also requires an extremely close relationship with those who use the estate - the Armed Forces - to ensure that it meets the requirements to maintain operational capability.
It is based on Kingston Road in Whitehouse Common
Whitehouse Common
Whitehouse Common is an area of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. It lies north of Falcon Lodge which is separated from it by a main road.The area is served by ....
, Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
. There are other office sites at Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, Tilshead
Tilshead
Tilshead is a small village located in Wiltshire, in England. It lies approximately midway between the villages of Shrewton and Market Lavington, and is located at the source of the River Till. Its population in 2001 was 359, down from a peak of 989 inhabitants in 1951.. The White Barrow long...
near Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, Waterbeach
Waterbeach
Waterbeach is a large fen-edge village located 6 miles north of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The parish covers an area of 23.26 km².- Village :...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and Catterick Garrison
Catterick Garrison
Catterick Garrison is a major Army base located in Northern England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population of around 12,000, plus a large temporary population of soldiers, and is larger than its older neighbour...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.
Portfolio
The agency's property portfolio is diverse and ranges from naval baseNaval base
A naval base is a military base, where warships and naval ships are deployed when they have no mission at sea or want to restock. Usually ships may also perform some minor repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usually stay on the ships but are undergoing maintenance while...
s and airfields to forces housing and military training grounds. Many of these sites are of national heritage or of archaeological importance. The agency also has responsibility for the overseas estates of the MoD.
The majority of forces housing was sold to a private housing group (Annington Homes
Annington Homes
Annington Homes is the largest private owner of homes in the United Kingdom, specialising in converting former Ministry of Defence housing for the general public since 1996. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Terra Firma.-External links:* *...
) in 1996 and is leased back.
Aims and mission
The agency is responsible for the day to day estates activity through a wide range of maintenance, construction and sustainability issues, with an annual budget of some £1 bn and direct responsibility for over 4,000 staff. The agency became a top level budget from 1 April 2005.The agency’s mission is “to deliver estate solutions to defence needs”. Its vision, which follows on from this, is to “provide an estate of the right size and quality, which is managed and developed effectively in line with acknowledged best practice, and which is sensitive to social and environmental considerations”.
As a major client of the construction industry, it is a member of the Construction Clients' Group
Construction Clients' Group
The Construction Clients' Group is a United Kingdom construction organisation representing major clients of the construction industry. It represents the views of clients to the Strategic Forum for Construction....
.
Rationalisation and consolidation
Management of the MoD estate as a corporate asset includes rationalisation and consolidationConsolidation (business)
Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers and acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. In the context of financial accounting, consolidation refers to the aggregation of financial statements of a group...
, working towards focusing the Ministry's activities onto fewer, larger sites. Since 1998/1999 DE has disposed of land and facilities surplus to requirements to the value of £1.46 billion. In devising and implementing an agreed plan with its customers, DIO provides a corporate and long-term view of defence requirements consistent with the Estate Strategy. This will assist in focusing MoD’s use of and future investment in its estate, to meet defence requirements for an estate of the optimum size and quality.
The agency is pursuing a prime contracting initiative to provide better value for money; this involves fewer, larger contacts for the maintenance of the estate and projects. The maintenance of the UK estate will be carried out through five Regional Prime Contracts; in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the South West, South East, Central and East
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
have already been let. The agency is also managing a variety of other large contracts, for example, providing for single living accommodation and the outsourcing of water and wastewater. Additionally, since 2004 the agency has been responsible for the maintenance of Service housing, this will be enhanced through the Housing Prime Contract, which was awarded in late 2005. From April 2006 the Agency took responsibility for the functional prime contract for delivering estate services to the Army Training Estate across the UK. Additionally, DIO provides worldwide estate security services to the MoD through its Security Services Group.