11 Aug 2004

Interserve's joint venture with Southern Electric Contracting (SEC), PriDE, has been named preferred bidder by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the £400 million Prime Contract covering London and the south-east of England.

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Interserve and SEC have complementary skills that will enable PriDE to self-deliver the majority of the services, with Interserve being responsible for approximately three-quarters of the work. The principal activities will be:

• Land and property management
• Lifecycle maintenance
• Response maintenance
• Help desk
• Environmental management
• Condition improvement of buildings and facilities
• Provision of Management Information Systems
• New works projects

The contract, which covers 106 locations throughout the south-east and will require around 1,000 people to deliver, will initially be for seven years and will have the option of a three-year extension. It is expected to be finalised in the last quarter of 2004 with operations beginning in early 2005.

Sam Maroli, Managing Director of Interservefm Ltd, commented: "Interserve and SEC share a strong service delivery culture and both organisations have had long-standing experience of working on the Defence Estate. The south-east Prime contract presents an excellent opportunity to use this experience and our combined skills to work in collaboration with a highly-valued client."