Mace lands water services procurement role for UK defence estate

Mace, the global consultancy and construction firm, has been appointed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to support the early assessment work for the replacement of three Public Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts for water services across 2,400 sites in Great Britain. 

Mace, working under a single contract, is supporting DIO with the early assessment phase for the replacement of three large PFI contracts for clean and wastewater services, collectively known as Aquatrine. With all three set to expire by 2030, Mace is helping DIO to get on the front foot and futureproof the nation’s vast defence estate with sustainable and efficient water systems and services. 

The contract, with a potential duration of up to three years, and which has come via the SCAPE Framework, will see Mace provide a range of consultancy services, including technical support, and cost, commercial and financial guidance, blending this with a hands-on knowhow from delivering both defence and water sector infrastructure programmes.

This new contract builds on a longstanding relationship between Mace and MOD, which sees Mace’s consultancy business work across a range of DIO estates programmes, as well as with Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), the arm’s length body responsible for equipping the nation’s military forces. 

The output of this consultancy work will be a suite of information that will ultimately feed into a business case for a new delivery model to meet the complex challenge of maintaining a robust water and wastewater network across the MOD estate, while working towards net zero carbon. Mace’s preparatory work will involve collaborating with multiple stakeholders.

Davendra Dabasia, Chief Operating Officer for Consultancy at Mace, said:

“This forward-looking project with DIO not only reaffirms our longstanding presence in the defence sector, but underscores our continued growth in the water sector and highlights our ability to support clients with expiring PFI contracts as part of our cost and commercial management service line. Securing this collaborative role with DIO provides us with the perfect opportunity to blend our sector knowledge, core consultancy capabilities and pragmatic hands-on delivery expertise to set out a plan for the future that will support thousands of service personnel by ensuring they have a fit-for-purpose estate.”