History of PAC

At contract award, the total through-life value of Project Allenby/Connaught (PAC) was stated as circa £8 billion.

PAC was introduced in line with the strategic aims set out in the Defence Estate Strategy 2006 – namely, to have an estate of the right size to meet the military need.  The vision was for an estate of fewer, larger sites in the UK and overseas, appropriately located and making the best use of available resources while remaining fully capable of meeting military needs.  Sites identified as having the potential for future development included Aldershot and Salisbury Plain.

More Army units, along with their associated personnel and equipment, needed to be accommodated in the garrisons adjacent to the Salisbury Plain Training Area and within Aldershot Garrison.  A re-organisation of force structures also resulted in some unit moves.  A project team, Allenby/Connaught, was established to examine the best way of meeting these requirements.  The ultimate aim was to improve the living and working environment of all personnel, while achieving long term value for money and being flexible enough to take into account any new initiatives.

What are the aims of PAC?

The shared aim of PAC and Aspire is to make soldiers’ lives better through delivery of new and enhanced single living and working accommodation at garrisons across Salisbury Plain and at Aldershot.

Provision of modern, purpose-built accommodation gives soldiers the living and working environment they deserve, whilst ensuring the Army has the facilities it needs to carry out its vital role both today and in future.  Soldiers were previously housed in outdated buildings with communal facilities which were difficult and costly to maintain; increasingly, soldiers’ single living accommodation on PAC garrisons is modern, fit for purpose and offers private, en-suite bathrooms.

What is a private finance initiative (PFI) ?

A PFI is a way of funding public sector construction and services contracts. A PFI project is typically one in which the private sector partner, in this case Aspire Defence, invests in assets and facilities that are then provided to the public sector, in this case the Ministry of Defence/Army.

PFIs are widely used across the public sector. MOD has PFIs for housing, simulators, vehicles, office accommodation and training establishments.