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.
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Administration
The organisation is managed by its chief executive, currently Dave Mitchard.
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, Wyton in Cambridgeshire and Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.
Portfolio
The agency's property portfolio is diverse and ranges from naval bases 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.
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.
Rationalisation and consolidation
Management of the MoD estate as a corporate asset includes rationalisation and consolidation, 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.
Organisation
DIO is divided into five operating divisions, supported by the Corporate HQ:
Contracting models
The organisation has pursued a prime contracting model with the intent to maximise value for money in defence.
For hard FM and construction projects five Regional Prime Contracts have been let; in Scotland, the South West, South East, Central and East.
Soft FM is provided through ten regional Super Multi Activity Contracts, associated with the ten Regional Brigade Areas.
The Housing Prime Contract allows for maintenance of the Service Families Accommodation estate.