Procurement process for new service family homes gets underway
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is seeking expressions of interest from industry partners to build around 360 new homes for service families at a Staffordshire barracks.
The new properties will be built as part of Project BORONA at Beacon Barracks in Stafford, which is currently being redeveloped following an announcement by the MOD in July of last year that it is to become the home of two additional signal regiments.
The DIO’s priority is providing support to Forces staff and their families and this development will provide high-quality accommodation for them as they prepare for operations.
The requirement, estimated to be worth £55-65 million, is for the construction of the houses as well as landscaping and utilities services supplies. An advert to commence the procurement process will appear in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) seeking potential bidders.
Although the new homes will occupy adjacent land to the main site redevelopment, the work is a separate development and will run in parallel.
Stuart Gallacher, DIO Principal Project Manager, said: “This housing project is a significant development needed to deliver Service Family Accommodation in support of Project BORONA’s development of Beacon Barracks.
“The development will not only welcome home the soldiers from Germany, but will allow for a more coherent basing arrangement for the Army and, at the same time, make better use of the MOD estate in the UK delivering a high quality sustainable development.
"This project will be delivered alongside its sister project under separate Commercial strategy in rationalising Stafford barracks.
“DIO’s priority is to support our Armed Forces and their families. This project will be one that will be of great benefit to existing and rebasing troops, as well as the wider economy as a whole.”
John Waterhouse, the BORONA project leader, said: “This project is a vital ingredient in support of the MOD’s investment in Stafford making excellent use of a brown field site offering a first class environmental solution where people and their place of work sit side by side.”
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Press enquiries to:
Emma Sloper, DIO Press Office: 0121 311 2418 or Emma.Sloper100@mod.uk
DIO website: www.mod.uk/dio
Notes to editors
1. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). It is responsible for managing and maintaining land and properties to meet the current and future needs of the MOD and personnel at home and abroad, and to support current operations.
2.Our work includes providing, supporting and improving: operational units; single living and service family accommodation; training areas and historic military sites. DIO actively manages these to ensure the needs of Defence are met, value for money is achieved, our heritage is protected and to achieve our environmental goals.
3.The BORONA programme is responsible for the overall project management of the move of the two Signal Regiments, plus other moves from Germany. For more information on the BORONA programme, please see www.army.mod.uk/BORONA