The Ministry of Defence has today (Aug 28) announced a new contract for maintaining the army’s fleet of construction vehicles.
The vehicles include excavators, bulldozers, cranes and forklift trucks used for moving earth, construction and mechanical handling capabilities.
The vehicles have been heavily involved in the Government’s response to Covid-19 to make sure that medical supplies are properly distributed across communities.
As well as this, the vehicles are also used for humanitarian relief such as hurricanes Irma and Dorian in the Caribbean as well as helping to minimise the effects of floods across the UK.
Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said:
“Our Armed Forces deserve the best equipment for their vital operations, both in the UK and right across the world. From humanitarian support to keeping our country safe, construction and mechanical vehicles are a key asset for defence.
“This contract is the result of excellent industry collaboration, and I am pleased that we are continuing to support jobs across the country.”
The contract was negotiated by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the MoD. MITER sees three existing contracts - Defence Mechanical Handling Equipment, Protected Engineering Equipment and C-Vehicle capability - brought under one umbrella contract.
The contract represents a saving of approximately £136m when compared to how the previous contracts were structured.
Simon Herrington, who led the DE&S team securing the contract, said:
“This has been a culmination of five years hard work with a small dedicated project team assisted with subject matter experts and a very good working relationship with the Army as lead customer.
“This hard work and collaborative working has resulted in the project being able to declare a £136M efficiency for DE&S and the Army, a really great achievement.”
