Defence
As lead, joint partners or supply chain to any undertaking we can design, build and maintain the most sophisticated projects, using our knowledge and experience to ensure the successful completion of your project and all ongoing operations.
Defence is one of the most demanding areas of public sector procurement, and accordingly, delivery and risk management are at the heart of our thinking. We are able to take a far-sighted view, incorporating risk assessment strategies which guarantee long term project performance, viability, safety and security.
With a portfolio of high-level projects already successfully delivered in the UK, including railway systems, airports and commercial developments in both the defence and commercial sectors, we are ready to play our full part in meeting your expectations in all future electrical infrastructure projects.
We appreciate the long term value of thorough planning and can allocate our skills on a one-off basis, or as part of an inclusive package. On large, complex projects, our planning services include site surveys, design and feasibility studies. We have the confidence and flexibility to treat each project on its own merits – mindful of its priorities, your requirements and the Construction, Design and Management (CDM) regulations.
Once you have established your imperatives with us, we will build safely and without compromise; we are aware of the importance of balancing build quality and downstream maintenance costs.
As any project matures we can provide strategic maintenance services so you can rely upon your electrical infrastructure at all times – especially when it's needed most.
Our teams of multi-skilled engineers have the relevant training and experience to deliver either reactive or proactive maintenance programs. We are able to deploy engineers at short notice within contracted Service Level Agreements, and we can provide consultancy services.
Our Power Consultancy Services include:
- Designing the optimum high voltage (HV) solution
- Undertaking network audit and due diligence of existing or inherited electrical network assets
- Delivering the capital programme
- Providing the ongoing operational, maintenance and asset optimisation expertise
- Developing innovative commercial and financing arrangements
- Tailoring risk transfer to client requirements
- Delivering multi-utility capability through joint venture partnering
- Providing access to an extensive portfolio of energy expertise
- Sustainability – innovating on all the latest sustainable strategies
Our technical know-how offers exciting possibilities for creating world-class solutions to meet your operational objectives.
Our approach to infrastructure projects is imaginative and adaptable, looking to save money and time by employing the considerable experience and resources we have at our disposal.
We are able to offer both the defence and commercial industry a bespoke service, together with a ‘multi-utility’ approach, either alone, or through our established partnerships with other utility providers.
Our approach is always to evaluate project viability through feasibility studies, establishing the demand requirements and the capacity and suitability of the planned or existing infrastructure to support them.
As your partner, we can design and provide the full range of electrical infrastructure services from low voltage (LV) and high voltage (HV) contracting, to the complete whole life asset management and operation of business critical and sustainable energy networks.
Our Network Design capability is the result of ongoing dialogue with our customers about issues such as criticality of power supply and routing. These are vital elements for design and we collaborate closely with our clients’ design teams at every opportunity.
Our design principles are firmly founded in experience on three of the UK’s largest power distribution networks. We can develop a bespoke service that powerfully delivers on any infrastructure’s specific operational requirements in a fully compliant CDM environment.
One of our key build projects is Project Allenby/Connaught, the MoD’s largest ever infrastructure PFI which is being delivered by Aspire Defence, a joint venture between Carillion and KBR.
We have formed a joint venture, with Veolia Water UK, to provide a “one stop multi-utility shop” for the projects needs.
Project Allenby/Connaught has one simple mission – to improve life for nearly 19,000 soldiers (20% of the British Army) by providing modern, fully serviced, purpose-built living and working accommodation across the garrisons of Aldershot and Salisbury Plain, during a 35-year contract.
We are proud, that in our commitment to the Defence community from the grass roots upwards, we are able to serve and support the needs of military personnel in their everyday lives.
The advantages the Multi-Utility Joint Venture (MUJV), brings to this project are certainty on delivery and cost; a single point of contact for all aspects of the multi-utility services; on-going asset stewardship responsibilities; bespoke performance obligations and transfer and management of utility risks.
Our experience in electrical network design, development and management extends across railway systems, airports and housing developments. As with Project Allenby/Connaught, we are able to bring strict commercial rigour to our planning, ensuring that your defence parameters in any future project will be fully incorporated into our thinking.
Our partnership with Veolia Water Outsourcing Limited for Project Allenby/Connaught provides an integrated Multi-Utility Joint Venture (MUJV) design and delivery team.
This team is responsible for the ongoing provision of a multi-utility infrastructure for the eight year new build and refurbishment programme, together with management, operation and maintenance of the existing and new utility infrastructure over the 35 year contract period.
Immediately following Aspire Defence’s contract commencement, we began the refurbishment and replacement of the existing 33kV infrastructure on the military estate which had remained in service without any provision for remote monitoring for many years.
We are assessing, replacing or bringing up to standard the electrical infrastructure without power interruption or affecting the day to day operational life of the garrisons served.
The infrastructure can now be monitored and also remotely operated from our local control room and on a round-the-clock basis from our main control centre at Fore Hamlet, Suffolk.
We have extended full remote monitoring and control for all main substations too. This action ensures the rapid restoration of power to affected areas during fault conditions and improves the safety of operational staff.
Project Allenby/Connaught involves considerable maintenance challenges for the long-term provision of new and inherited water, wastewater, gas and electric networks serving a population of some 19,000 personnel.
The project also encompasses several sustainable aspects such as deployment of Combined Cooling Heat and Power plant (CCHP) and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) technologies.
Our intelligent asset management approach ensures maintenance is undertaken when it’s required; this may be after a number of operations or duty cycles following faults or when monitoring techniques such as oil acidity sniffing denotes a change in state. This is a giant leap in the way planned maintenance has traditionally been undertaken within the UK power industry. ‘Time based’ maintenance was always carried out whether or not an asset required it, and often the very act of performing maintenance on sensitive high voltage assets induces more risk of failure than the actual condition of the asset.
As part of the Aspire Defence team, we are proud of our reputation for response within Project Allenby/ Connaught. Under the project we have committed to a better than ‘High Street’ output based contract which measures the availability of power to accommodation, industrial activity blocks and social centres such as pubs and diners.
Being fully integrated with Aspire Defence, and our ability to put engineers on the ground, has minimised any disturbance to garrison life through power outages.
We take a long term view of all our infrastructure projects and it is this commitment which is at the heart of our ‘Risk Transference’ strategy.
We can offer the defence industry the type of asset management strategies that ensures even the largest commercial centres in the UK stay powered up.
We employ non-invasive asset monitoring techniques and trend modelling and have the benefit of virtual value chains built from our experience in intelligent asset management. UK Power Networks Services can therefore accurately predict asset failure rates and engage upon replacement with adequate margins for critical assets. This also helps us extend the active life for lower duty assets, facilitating lower costs and with fewer constraints upon the operational life of MoD infrastructure.
We have also accepted risks associated with the condition of assets that cannot easily be examined, such as underground cables and large transformers. The risk of failure in cables and plant has long been avoided, however, mitigation through our knowledge of cable and plant performance, coupled with innovative technologies for performance monitoring has allowed us to accept an output based agreement on performance.
At UK Power Networks Services we can develop sustainable solutions to increase the value of any establishment utilising energy from all sources, including waste.
Through a detailed energy audit and measurement of your defence infrastructure facility followed by a comprehensive report of our energy efficiency recommendations, we can help you meet your carbon and energy reduction objectives whilst at the same time increasing the value of your estate.
Our approach to sustainability includes a commitment to fostering ‘cultural change’; adding base value to the Estate and re-thinking the way domestic products are used; facilitating on-site micro sustainable generation; and finally, developing large, sustainably-sourced on or off site energy. We are able to offer a range of stand alone and fully integrated solutions across solar, thermal and photovoltaic power; combined heat and power; and micro combined heat and power.
We’ll implement our solution through our own project engineers, guaranteeing the identification of energy and carbon savings.
People are our most valuable asset and we invest in a whole range of programmes to develop and nurture the talent we have at our disposal.
We have been awarded Investors in People (IIP) status demonstrating our commitment to employees and also helping us attract the high calibre, talented people upon which our future depends.
We look to our ‘High Performing People’ to thus deliver a superior service to our customers and create more innovative solutions for our business.
Our training and development programmes include communication skills, management and leadership, as well as the apprenticeship and technical training courses so vital to our organisation.
We recognise a potential skills gap as long-term employees approach retirement and insufficient numbers of suitably qualified young people become available to replace them. We are working hard to develop links with schools, colleges and universities to engage with students to improve their understanding of our business and the career opportunities that are available to them. Through our ‘Bright Young Things’ workshops, aimed at the 13-14 age group, we encourage them to choose the right subjects to enable them to follow a career in electrical engineering. Other interactive workshops, events and structured work placements enable young people to get first experience of the exciting career opportunities we offer.
We offer apprenticeship programmes as well as opportunities for engineering graduates. In 2008 a 30-month Engineer Development Programme was introduced that enables participants to study for a Foundation Degree in Power Distribution Engineering, or an equivalent qualification, on a part time basis whilst receiving ‘in-house’ training in our business.
Project Allenby/Connaught is the MoD’s largest accommodation project involving the provision of new and refurbished living accommodation, messes and technical facilities for Aldershot and Salisbury Plain, contracted under a 35-year Public Private Partnership project (PPP).
The project includes the design, construction and long-term operation of new and inherited utility networks that serve a population of approximately 19,000. The project encompasses several sustainable aspects such as deployment of Combined Cooling, Heat and Power plant (CCHP) and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) technologies.
The solution provides:
- Certainty on delivery and cost
- One point of client contact for all aspects of the utility services
- Ongoing asset stewardship responsibilities
- Bespoke performance obligations
- Transfer and management of utility risks