§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
PriDE, a joint venture between Interserve (Defence) Ltd and Southern Electric Contracting (SEC) has been awarded the regional prime contract covering the Ministry of Defence's estate in the south-east. This follows the successful conclusion of discussions with the consortium, which was appointed as preferred bidder in August 2004.
The seven-year contract, worth in the region of £400 million, is the third in a series of five such regional arrangements to cover the estate and provide for capital works, property maintenance and facilities management services throughout the south-east of England.
The MOD has undertaken to make significant improvements in the overall condition of its estate by changing its organisational structures and introducing prime contracting methods. Encouraging innovation and efficiency, regional prime contracting is a key initiative that aims to provide a better quality of service and greater value for money through suitably incentivised contracts conforming to the principles of smart acquisition.