Following the successful relocation of UK operations to the airbase, Interserve will manage the maintenance of the site, working with a sister company based in the Middle East.
For the Ministry of Defence, Lt Col Nick Inglis said: “Making a smooth transition to the new airbase is essential. We therefore had to have full confidence in the capabilities of our supplier to deliver the move and maintain the site so that it can be fully operational.
“After an involved tender process covering all aspects of the support services required, we recognised that the management experience of Interserve, with on-the-ground support from its sister company, was the best delivery option.”
The scope of the Interserve contract covers a range of facilities including accommodation, ablutions, offices, gymnasium, passenger-handling facilities, industrial hangers and taxiway.
Interserve international projects director Neil Dandy explained the importance and strategic significance of the contract: “This is the first contract of its kind to be tendered in the Middle East. For Interserve, winning the contract was crucial in the development of our international business.
“We have been able to use the knowledge gained in our live projects in Cyprus, the Falkland Islands and Ascension Island to take an intelligent approach to our service support offering. From a practical point of view, when you are faced with temperatures in excess of 50 degrees (peaking at 57.5 degrees in the shade in August 2009) in the middle of the desert, our familiarity with operating in extreme climatic conditions will play an important part in our service delivery.
“And by being able to draw on the experience of our sister company, which has been working in the country for 30 years, we know that we have the critical capabilities that will make a real difference to the lives of service men and women living and working on the base.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
