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19
Feb
Ministry of Defence advertises £204 million contract for Harrogate army college
The Ministry of Defence is advertising a £204 million contract to provide services at Army Foundation College Harrogate.
The college, on Penny Pot Lane, is the British Army’s sole provider of basic training for junior soldiers aged 16 to 18.
Parliament heard in 2023 that the college, which provides 49-week and 23-week entry courses, costs £85.5 million a year to run.
The MoD said this week it was “considering future arrangements for the continued operation of the Army Foundation College (Harrogate) following the expiry of the existing private finance initiative contract”.
The college was rebuilt by the now-defunct company Jarvis as part of a £526.6 million, 30-year PFI deal agreed in 2000.
The deal included facilities management, library services, catering and vocational education at the college.
Now the MoD is looking for a new operator. Its preliminary market engagement notice, which is issued before a formal tendering process, says the scope of the contract includes facilities management, healthcare, learning, clerical and IT.
The notice adds:
The army is also considering whether additional capacity (and therefore additional infrastructure) may be required at the site.
The MoD plans to procure these services in the future. This notice is issued for information and market awareness purposes only.
Harrogate's Army Foundation College
The estimated contract dates are from January 1, 2029 to January 1, 2036.
An MoD briefing day for interested parties will take place in Wiltshire on March 5.
Organisations have until March 31 this year to express an interest.
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