Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans has been appointed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), part of the Ministry of Defence, as its winning tenderer for Estate Management Professional Services (EMPS) under the Crown Commercial Services Framework Agreement.

Under the solus contract appointment, Montagu Evans will support the DIO in delivering major estate requirements equating to an annual portfolio requirement of up to 125 hectares per year that will drive productive use of the retained estate and release surplus land and assets to meet local, regional and national objectives. This includes:

• Delivery of agreed professional and technical services including a range of property acquisition and disposal advice across the DIO’s Business as Usual site (BAU) portfolio and across a range of military clients. 
• The Reserve Estate Optimisation Programme (REOP), an additional optimisation programme across the volunteer estate utilised by the network of the UK’s regional Reserve Forces and Cadet Organisations The objective is to strategically identify, retain and invest in the Volunteer Estate to best meet Defence outputs and secure best value with a focus on the sale of surplus buildings and land for reinvestment back into the estate. 
• Land Management Services (LMS), to provide effective management of the leasehold estate and support any landlord and tenant issues that might arise in rural and urban locations. 

Montagu Evans will lead as the solus contractor with a wider professional sub-team including SWECO, Gleeds, Cascade, HLM Architects, Allsop and Fisher German, undertaking professional advisory work across the UK, including town planning advice, valuation and masterplanning, as well as technical advisory support for the disposal of surplus sites and wider estate and property management.

The appointment follows Montagu Evans taking on the role as the DIO’s Strategic Property Advisor (Lot 1 lead) since 2019, which is continuing alongside this new appointment. 

Adrian Owen, Partner at Montagu Evans and lead for the appointment, said: “These are major real estate programmes and a significant appointment that will create value for the public estate and new opportunities for housing and other drivers of long-term economic and community benefit. 

“Throughout our longstanding relationship with the DIO, we will be looking beyond physical site boundaries to consider local needs and drivers as well as wider commercial opportunities, and we will be embedding local engagement and social value targets firmly within our plans.

“The appointment also reflects Montagu Evans’ continued support for those that serve our country, which has been underlined by the partnership signing the Armed Forces Covenant. We are pleased to have been selected again by the DIO and the team is keen to get going.” 

Jenny Rydon, Partner at Montagu Evans and Head of its Strategic Advisory team, said: “The DIO is critical to ensuring our defence is operated from a quality, fit for purpose estate. This additional appointment solidifies our commitment to supporting DIO to maximise public sector assets in a timely way whilst considering the full impact and opportunity that can be brought forward.

“Given the complexity involved and sensitivity needed, our planning and development strengths are an important factor, and we are bringing together a wide range of specialists in our multidisciplinary team, with strong programme management, governance and a commitment to best value underpinning our entire approach.” 

Catherine Davies, Head of Estates for Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said: “We are pleased to be working with Montagu Evans to support our ongoing proactive management of the UK defence estate. Through the combined expertise of Montagu Evans and DIO’s Estate team, we will be able to take decisions about the future of MOD land more quickly and effectively, ensuring that our estate is optimised to best meet the future needs of the Armed Forces.”

Further coverage can be found on EG and CoStar.