Media 2012 Press Releases

Supporting UK forces and Afghanistan authorities - 6/6/2012

Global multi-disciplinary consultancy WYG has been appointed by the MoD on a two-year contract to support infrastructure work which will help UK forces continue to operate efficiently and support Afghan authorities.

Under the contract WYG will provide designs for a very wide range of projects.  The consultancy could also be providing land and airside infrastructure in support of fixed wing aircraft and helicopters including operating services, hangers and maintenance facilities, as well as infrastructure for Afghan authorities - acting as a catalyst to local economic growth.

Based in Camp Bastion, the main military base in Afghanistan and home to more than 20,000 people, WYG will work alongside the UK Works Group, a multi-disciplinary team made up of 60 Royal Engineers rotating in and out of Afghanistan, to manage and maintain the infrastructure throughout the Camp and on other operating bases in the country.

Contracted for two years WYG will make up what is known as the Civilian Engineering Support Team (CEST), working within secure UK Forces locations. 

Clive Anderson, Global Head of Defence and Justice, WYG said: “Securing the CEST contract is a significant milestone for WYG, it reinforces our ongoing support to the MoD, one of the Group’s most important clients, whilst building on our international capability particularly in donor funded reconstruction operations.

“Since its creation in 2006, Camp Bastion has grown so much that the perimeter wall is now almost 40km long – making it roughly the size of Reading. It has its own bus service, hospital, fire station and police force and its airport is the UK’s third busiest. 

“The operations in Afghanistan require a scalable civilian team capable of responding quickly to the changing requirements and delivery of support services to assist the UK Works Group in providing a value for money and effective infrastructure service.

“Winning the contract is a strong endorsement of the breadth of capabilities WYG is able to deliver as, we could be working on a whole range of programmes in Afghanistan from delivery of UK Forces infrastructure development and maintenance to supporting Afghan capacity building, power, roads & bridges, canals & water, contractor development, line ministry development, Afghan site supervisors and engineers and links to academia and education, as it transitions to self sufficient status.”

The UK Works Group maintains the infrastructure in Afghanistan and is responsible for a wide range of projects and facilities management in support of the UK Campaign. The Group is the main route for delivery of donor funded programmes in Afghanistan and WYG will become an integral part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) delivering projects on behalf of organisations such as the Foreign Office, DIFID and Asian Development Bank.

As well as providing design, procurement, construction supervision and additional engineering services, as part of the CEST team, WYG will also be responsible for the delivery of information and knowledge management functions to maintain continuity as military units rotate through their deployment in Afghanistan.

Col Tony Tait, MoD said: “I am very pleased to have WYG on board supporting us (UK Works Group) in our vital role in Afghanistan.  Not only providing the infrastructure to enable ongoing military operations, but also in developing the opportunity for the local Afghan community to transition to a self sufficient status.

“I look forward to drawing on WYG’s experience and capability in this arena and the team joining us in theatre.”

Image caption: Army Barracks example. Courtesy of mumbojumbo/shutterstock.com