Serco has been awarded a £31 million contract extension by the Ministry of Defence to continue providing support services at RAF Brize Norton, according to a press release.

The two-year extension follows the original three-year Brize Support Contract (BSC), which Serco secured in December 2021 through a competitive process.

Under the contract, Serco delivers a range of logistical, engineering, and airfield services at the base, which is the largest RAF air station in the UK.

The company has been involved at RAF Brize Norton for over 25 years, and the contract employs more than 380 people, including over 160 ex-Service personnel.

Doug Umbers, Managing Director of Serco’s UK defence business, commented on the extension, saying, “Serco is delighted to have the opportunity to continue to support the RAF at Brize for another two years. Our team at the airfield works closely with the RAF in a Whole Force Approach, and the contract allows the release of invaluable RAF personnel back to front line duties.”

RAF Brize Norton, with a personnel strength of over 7,000, is central to the RAF’s Strategic and Tactical Air Transport (AT) and Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) capabilities.

The base supports global mobility for UK overseas operations and provides AAR support for fast-jet aircraft involved in operations and homeland defence.

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Lisa has a degree in Media & Communication from Glasgow Caledonian University and works with industry news, sifting through press releases in addition to moderating website comments.
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Supportive Bloke
Supportive Bloke (@guest_843550)
1 month ago

Hmmme

Saves a few quid (maybe?) presumably on pensions but IRL this means what for deployment or depth?

Half are ex RAF so RAF paid for their training anyway.

What happens if commercial aviation pay rates pick up…..this could get expensive……or the roles go unfilled….?

Enobob
Enobob (@guest_843607)
1 month ago

You do know that they have been doing this for around 40 years?

Supportive Bloke
Supportive Bloke (@guest_843608)
1 month ago
Reply to  Enobob

Yes, I do.

Still doesn’t make the boys’n’girls deployable?

pompeyblokeinoxford
pompeyblokeinoxford (@guest_843656)
1 month ago

If it was salary the x RAF guys would have left years ago. They are quite happy with the convenience.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli (@guest_843583)
1 month ago

I remember a 90,000 RAF.
So many support roles have been privatised along side the wholesale cuts.
On deployment, major RAF Stations have an EAW comprised of personnel from that stations varied wings.

Bazza
Bazza (@guest_843593)
1 month ago

It must be more expensive to contract everything out like this.

Enobob
Enobob (@guest_843606)
1 month ago
Reply to  Bazza

Far, FAR cheaper. You pay for the service delivered, you do not pay for staff, recruiting, equipment, equipment maintenance, housing, food, clothing etc etc etc. And they have not contracted out everything, not by a long way.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli (@guest_843612)
1 month ago
Reply to  Enobob

No, that’s true, RAF Stations have wings, as I mentioned above.
I don’t know the balance between uniformed and contractor staff each station though.

Tom
Tom (@guest_843778)
1 month ago
Reply to  Enobob

Contrary to belief, contracting out is more expensive in the long run, than keeping things in-house. Everything that you mentioned as savings, is just the sales pitch.

Also keeping things in house, keeps control of what is going on.

Frank62
Frank62 (@guest_843918)
1 month ago
Reply to  Tom

The first consideration when a contractor bids is maximising ring fencing a clear profit, before actual delivery of the sevice & further down the scale, keeping wages as low as possible. So there’s usually a mark up for the contractors to profit mine the public purse, often delivering as shoddy a service as they can get away with.
I hope Serco are being far more helpful & effficient, but the whole privatisation/contracting out dogma pushed since the late1970s-80s was a lie.

Tom
Tom (@guest_843928)
1 month ago
Reply to  Frank62

I know how contracts and contracting work. I have done both.

Rst2001
Rst2001 (@guest_843867)
1 month ago
Reply to  Enobob

I remember reading an article from a financial mergers and acquisition expert who statistically noted that using contractors was very expensive and bad for the business in long term .
The costs are high financially and structurally . Tendering out for contract Also allows for legalised corruption .

Aaron L
Aaron L (@guest_843921)
1 month ago
Reply to  Rst2001

Speaking from my own experience, I’ve just completed a project moving the dispatch arm of an online direct to customer business over to a third party contractor. The immediate saving is around 30% of operational costs for the company, and will actually increase over the next five years.

Depending on the situation and service being contracted out, it can definitely be a cheaper solution.

Tom
Tom (@guest_843637)
1 month ago

I’m sure Serco used to empty my bins some years ago…

Lee j furs an
Lee j furs an (@guest_843678)
1 month ago
Reply to  Tom

I think they feed immigrants as well..

Paul T
Paul T (@guest_843712)
1 month ago
Reply to  Tom

They have many Fingers in many Pies 👇.

Mark F
Mark F (@guest_843740)
1 month ago

I suspect that the contract extension was signed off because DE&S / DIO hadn’t started to sort out a new completion in time.