GCHQ
Our £400m contract to construct and service the Government's new Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham, England is one of the largest buildings developed under Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to date – roughly the size of the Wembley Stadium complex. We are part of the IAS consortium, which also includes Carillion and BT.
The contract is funded by a £425million senior and mezzanine bond investment (together with sponsor support of some £22 million) to cover capital expenditure and interest.
GCHQ has one of the largest and most sophisticated computer systems in the world supporting the vital contribution it makes to national security.
The building has been designed to the most modern standards and we provide complete integrated non-core support services. The contract provides for our client a better, ‘greener’ more efficient working environment with improved services and reduced operational costs.
The complex was completed in 2003 and services are now provided from four satellite buildings that surround the accommodation, offering conference facilities, distribution of supplies and maintenance. Managing the movement from the 50-plus old buildings into the modern purpose-designed building also formed part of the project.
Award winning
The annual Public Private Finance Awards aim to promote best practice and recognise innovation and excellence within the PPP/PFI sectors. The awards are established as the most prestigious honours in the industry.
In 2002 the GCHQ New Accommodation Project won both the top Project of the Year Award and the Best Design Project Award.
Our support services
Visitors to the building are greeted by one of our receptionists, and our support services also include all the other non-core but essential service activities such as catering, sports and leisure facilities, cleaning, conference and training facilities and waste management as well as logistics and security. We provide stringent levels of visitor security as well as internal and external security throughout the site, including the car parks. The hard FM services we provide include mechanical and electrical services, building and fabric services, window cleaning, pest control, grounds maintenance and churn services that involve space planning and configuration control.
Our integrated customer service centre (help desk) is a key part of the operation, providing a single point of contact for our customers on all service issues and monitoring service provision against the detailed performance mechanism.
We also manage the IT services and provide a catalogue of additional support services, such as photocopier procurement, that can be accessed through the Integrated Customer Service Centre.
Efficient operation of these services ensures an excellent working environment and satisfies the needs of GCHQ’s people now and in the future. The new working environment assists some of the country's brightest people in carrying out their important and sensitive tasks.
GCHQ induction training
We designed and delivered a series of half-day workshops for all occupants of the new accommodation as they decanted from the old buildings. Over 4,500 staff were successfully familiarised with their new surroundings during the 12-month decant period.
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