Defence Equipment and Support Organisation to focus activities in Bristol

Defence Equipment and Support Organisation to focus activities in Bristol

An Equipment and Logistics news article
16 Jul 08

New measures proposed at improving the delivery of defence equipment and support to the UK’s Armed Forces have been announced by Defence Minister Baroness Ann Taylor.

In a phased programme of moves, almost 2,800 posts will move from Ministry of Defence sites in Bath, Hampshire and Cambridgeshire bringing the population of the Abbey Wood site in Bristol up to about 10,000. Construction of a new building adjacent to the site and more effective use of existing accommodation will help meet the increased requirement for living space.

Baroness Taylor, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support said of the decision:

"The tasks carried out by DE&S are hugely important to the Armed Forces. These plans, which are part of the business improvement programme launched earlier this year will make sure that the best support is given to the front line."

The reshaping of DE&S is being carried out under the PACE (Performance, Agility, Confidence, Efficiency) business improvement programme, which was launched internally on 7 March 2008.

The current DE&S workforce is around 24,500, reducing under PACE business improvement programme to around 20,000 by 2012. Of this, around 10,000 posts will be housed at Abbey Wood by 2012, with the rest of the organisation remaining at various sites across the UK and abroad (eg. naval bases and storage depots).

General Sir Kevin O’Donoghue, Chief of Defence Materiel and head of DE&S, said:

"DE&S currently operates from more than 60 bases in the UK and centralising acquisition activities at Abbey Wood reflects the MOD’s commitment to maximising funds available to our military.

"DE&S currently operates from more than 60 bases in the UK and centralising acquisition activities at Abbey Wood reflects the MOD’s commitment to maximising funds available to our military."

"By the end of Phase 1 of the Project, we will already have successfully moved around 1,000 posts from Andover to Abbey Wood, Bristol and I am convinced additional improvements to the provision of through-life military capability and logistics support to the front line can be realised through greater consolidation of DE&S business activities. No decisions will be made until Trade Unions are fully consulted and staff are being kept fully informed throughout this process."

DE&S Collocation is part of a wider departmental programme of estate rationalisation. Of the sites to be vacated, RAF Wyton is to become home for the Defence Intelligence Service; Andover North will house the Army’s HQ Land Forces and Ensleigh and Foxhill will be considered for alternative defence or other Government department uses.

The Corsham09 project is another element of the DE&S collocation programme and the Departmental Estate Rationalisation initiative and represents further investment in MOD infrastructure in the South West. The project will lead to the collocation by 2011 of DE&S Information Systems & Services key functions and industry delivery partners on a single site, from the current three sites at Basil Hill, Corsham in Wiltshire.