Military families to benefit from better homes as part of £700m contract

AECOM is to work on a £700m project across Ministry of Defence sites, providing military personnel and their families with modern and sustainable homes through the redevelopment of military garrisons across Scotland and the North of England. 

A trusted infrastructure consulting firm, AECOM has successfully become a party and signatory to the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Portfolio Service Alliance Contract.

The firm will provide technical oversight of the design and build elements of the DEO portfolio in Scotland and North England over about seven years, after being awarded the Technical Services Provider (TSP) North Regional Package.

Its role will cover multi-disciplinary services such as design assurance, project management, cost management, site supervision and other support services across a variety of Ministry of Defence sites.

Andy Harley, AECOM’s DEO portfolio lead, said: “AECOM works with authorities across the UK to improve estates and the built environment, from decarbonisation of built assets to placemaking and supporting the energy transition. 

“Our military and their families should be able to enjoy all the benefits of a modern, sustainability driven estate, which offers enormous social value in terms of supporting the families who live there and supporting the defence sector to continue to attract and retain personnel. 

“We are proud to be awarded this contract and look forward to working collaboratively with the DEO Scotland and North England client team and delivery partners.”

The work will be undertaken in alignment with the DEO Portfolio, which is investing £5.1bn in a better-structured, modern and more sustainable estate that improves security and resilience. 

The DEO strategy includes plans for 16,000 new and refurbished service family homes and single living accommodation units, contemporary office space for over 14,900 people, 101 specialist military facilities including workshops, garages, medical, dental and sports amenities and education and training facilities for over 50,000 people.

As part of the DEO process, defence will dispose of sites that are no longer suitable for military requirements. 

This is a natural by-product of the enhancement of the defence estate as it provides the infrastructure needed by a modern expeditionary force.

Disposing of these sites creates opportunities for alternative use, resulting in regeneration, business growth and job creation within the local area. 

To date, DEO has disposed of 771 hectares of surplus military land for both commercial and residential development. 

This has since been repurposed in a number of ways including the creation of a boutique hotel, a school and a film studio, as well as green open space, commercial use and plans for over 6,500 new homes.

AECOM’s collaborative working with other DEO Portfolio Service Alliance Members will help the MoD to transition to a low carbon, sustainable estate which provides value to workers and residents through developing opportunities for a pleasant environment, health and wellbeing and sustainability.