Accommodation in the news again

[Oldstacker]

Big heads of sheds meeting about accomodation

"Ministers have demanded daily briefings from military housing bosses to turn around the ‘completely unacceptable’ service that contractors have provided to troops and their families."

Military housing bosses must turn around troops in rundown homes

The extraordinary intervention follows The Mail on Sunday's report that hundreds of personnel had been left without heating or hot water as they waited for repairs in rundown homes.

www.dailymail.co.uk

It will be interesting to see just how much of the talk becomes actual action.

The next steps are likely to be;

"Yes minister, the contract was poorly specified when signed. The contractor is struggling to deliver what was contracted and cannot do better with the money being paid to them. If the contractor walks away then it will take months to specify and let a new contract with no support to the housing in the interim. Based on the last contract round, no new contractor will offer a better service at the money available. Our only option then is to pay the current contractor lots more money (sourced from unknown budget elsewhere) for a slowly and slightly better service."

Not involved in the process myself but have seen other defence contracts go down that track before...

 

[muttywhitedog]

Hope they have contents insurance and get everything sorted quickly.

If they have the insurance (and lets be honest, they should), I wonder where the £2.5K raised so far will go?

 

[mild mannered janitor]

If they have the insurance (and lets be honest, they should), I wonder where the £2.5K raised so far will go?

yes because that will cover a whole house worths!!!!!!!

 

[vim_fuego]

The next steps are likely to be;

"Yes minister, the contract was poorly specified when signed. The contractor is struggling to deliver what was contracted and cannot do better with the money being paid to them. If the contractor walks away then it will take months to specify and let a new contract with no support to the housing in the interim. Based on the last contract round, no new contractor will offer a better service at the money available. Our only option then is to pay the current contractor lots more money (sourced from unknown budget elsewhere) for a slowly and slightly better service."

Not involved in the process myself but have seen other defence contracts go down that track before...

He speaks the truth…seen exactly this as well. Personally, to buck the trend, I’d call the suppliers bluff and sack them and re-tender, otherwise things will never change.

 

[busby1971]

It’s either a breach of SLA so penalties and break clauses can be used, or a crap contract so get off the contractors back.

Whenever I ask for quotes for work to be done it’s never a good idea to take the lowest if it seems too cheap, just as you wouldn’t take one that seems too expensive, Once had an agency offer to provide a service for a 10% fee, normal range was 15% to 20%, told them I’d agree 15% but they never made a successful placement and the relationship fizzled out.

For some reason the civil service consider a contract cancellation toe a bigger professional failure than continuing to pay for not getting you are paying for.

 

[Spearmint]

For some reason the civil service consider a contract cancellation toe a bigger professional failure than continuing to pay for not getting you are paying for.

Similar to the Officer Corps with their moving around every 18 months - 2 years under the guise of being exposed to as much as possible for career growth, that happens in the Civil Service as well. So with that comes decisions being made but no one being around to be held accountable if it becomes something embarrassing.

I'm currently involved in the discussions for a 10 year contract coming up soon and in it I want a few areas looked at that the current contract does not cover. I bet you any money that my ask will be turned over by the Commercial arm setting this thing up as it'll pin the supplier down too hard. I will also very much be in a different area in a few years time for my own career growth.

 

[busby1971]

A fair and reasonable contract shouldn't scare off a good contractor, I've spent a few years working in open book environments where customers and suppliers (in a B2B environment) try to do their best to maximise each others businesses.

 

[Oldstacker]

A fair and reasonable contract shouldn't scare off a good contractor, I've spent a few years working in open book environments where customers and suppliers (in a B2B environment) try to do their best to maximise each others businesses.

Agreed, but my experience is that MoD are not good at specifying the right details in the contract and make lots of assumptions internally about what is covered without testing those with the putative contractors and having the right funding available to meet the actual requirements. I've seen both MoD and contractors get hurt as a result.

 

[Tin basher]

Navy take action on rubbish barrack blocks. We can perhaps hope that the RAF will find the minerals to act in the same manner

Navy boss shuts squalid living quarters at base dubbed HMS Collingrad

Vice Admiral Martin Connell is axing one block after sailors compared the squalid state of HMS Collingwood in Fareham to Stalingrad, the Russian city reduced to ruins in the Second World War.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Vushtrri]

The accommodation at Cosford isn't exactly great. In the block the plumbing is beyond useless, more than a couple of people using showers in the building results in no water pressure for anything else. Damp and mould is common, problems with electrics although that seems to have calmed down. When we moved in to this block we where told it was previously condemned! I could go on and but I think most of the blocks in Cosford suffer similar issues at the moment.

The camp itself is alright, still enjoying my course here and still glad I made the change to join. I do wish however the accommodation was better, just a half decent kitchen for cooking and plumbing that works would do me!

Ah…but I bet you can always find forks in the refs room and some twat hasn’t nicked the shifts milk…

 

[bigjd]

Ah…but I bet you can always find forks in the refs room and some twat hasn’t nicked the shifts milk…

In a single room at the moment so thankfully that isn't an issue! Wouldn't leave anything in the tea bar though!

 

[Mustang]

Accommodation appears to be a permanent problem. Going back to the early/mid 70s the situation in MQs in Britain was dire. The standard in RAFG was much higher, but that was only comforting (literally) for the duration of the posting. On posting to Scampton from RAFG in 1987 the MQs were so bad* that we decided immediately to buy a house and found one within a few months. Some MQs, nothing like enough, had been upgraded, however there were ongoing problems with the heating and hot water.

* The MQs had not changed a lot from the 50s when my father was stationed in Scampton.

 

[Tin basher]

Still not getting it right

Hundreds of military families are living in substandard housing

Defence Minister Alex Chalk revealed in a written statement last week that nearly 600 military homes occupied by troops and their families do not meet the official criteria for 'decent' accommodation.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Stevienics]

I expect the extra £5Bln will go route one towards Infra and contracting

...or is it vanity projects, WOKE policies and charity ordnance, I can never remember?

 

[mullah lite]

I expect the extra £5Bln will go route one towards Infra and contracting

...or is it vanity projects, WOKE policies and charity ordnance, I can never remember?

Charity ordnance? Delivered by rocket, or dropped from above?

 

[fourteen2two]

They will probably refurbish accommodation at Scampton and the place in Essex for the unwanted boat people!
Different budget probably.

 

[Tin basher]

Navy take action on rubbish barrack blocks. We can perhaps hope that the RAF will find the minerals to act in the same manner

Now the Army take action on rubbish barrack blocks and have a slightly left field solution to accomodate their troops. Shipping containers!!!

BBC version some rats

Clive Barracks: MP says soldiers are living in converted shipping containers

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan says 40 of the units are in use at a barracks in her constituency.

www.bbc.co.uk

Mail version rat infested

Fury as troops moved from rat-infested barracks to shipping containers

EXCLUSIVE: Dozens of troops at Clive Barracks near Tern Hill, Shropshire. One furious insider said: 'We don't do let asylum seekers stay in places like this, so why the hell do we do it to our own troops?'

www.dailymail.co.uk

MOD Accomodation woes the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Cornish_Pikey]

No one mentioned the "T blocks" outside the Tornado Maintenance School that lasted over ten years at Marhell. Only supposed to be there a year or two at most.

Cold, leaked like a sieve but were loved by all that stayed in them as they were the party block. It was so shit you couldn't break it, and if you managed to break it no one cared.

 

[Spearmint]

No one mentioned the "T blocks" outside the Tornado Maintenance School that lasted over ten years at Marhell. Only supposed to be there a year or two at most.

Cold, leaked like a sieve but were loved by all that stayed in them as they were the party block. It was so shit you couldn't break it, and if you managed to break it no one cared.

Came down from Lossie for a month long Q Course in winter and spent one night in them.

Horrendous things, heating did not work, no hot water and electric shower just pumped cold water akin to the pressure of an old man's ejaculation.

First break time I took the chance to sprint to the Accomodation Cell and demanded a normal room or a Hotel, and if I didn't get one I'd be on my way back up north and they can explain to my boss why I RTU'd myself.

F*cking Tonkas *Spit*.

 

[Cornish_Pikey]

Came down from Lossie for a month long Q Course in winter and spent one night in them.

Horrendous things, heating did not work, no hot water and electric shower just pumped cold water akin to the pressure of an old man's ejaculation.

First break time I took the chance to sprint to the Accomodation Cell and demanded a normal room or a Hotel, and if I didn't get one I'd be on my way back up north and they can explain to my boss why I RTU'd myself.

F*cking Tonkas *Spit*.

Welcome to Marhell. LOL

The T blocks were still better than the old transit block though. At least you had lights and some furniture.