Interserve wins UAE military contract

A British building services company has won a multimillion-dollar facilities management contract with the UAE Armed Forces for more than 220 locations throughout the Emirates. Interserve, based in Reading, announced the UAE deal among contracts totaling more than £200 million (Dh1.11bn) in the Middle East and UK. The UAE deal, named Project Tatweer, will begin with one facility, the company said. "Initially the contract is to set up a pilot project at a key strategic facility and then, over the three-year contract period, to extend best practice facilities management services across the entire estate of over 220 locations," it said. "The vision of the project is that it becomes a reference for other government departments and ministries."

Interserve's local partner in the deal is Khansaheb Civil Engineering. Neither company's representatives could be reached for comment yesterday. The UK company Waterman said it also was working on Project Tatweer and was helping to manage systems and services including electrical, mechanical, heating and cooling, water, drainage and sewerage, landscaping, fire prevention, alarms and access and general building maintenance.

Information on the size of the market for managing strategic facilities in the Emirates is scarce, but it is expected to grow as government staffing is reduced through the outsourcing of non-core functions. One of the largest contracts this decade is expected to be management of four nuclear reactors in Abu Dhabi that will begin entering service in 2017. igale@thenational.ae