The Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW) has presented its International Collaboration award to Tetra Tech, the Bahraini Defence Force, and the Ministry of Defence for delivering the UK Naval Support Facility (UKNSF) in Bahrain. The award was distributed at the House of Lords on 13th December.
Members of our project management team attended the ceremony together with military colleagues and representative of the Bahraini Ambassador to the UK.
Andrew Fotherby, Divisional Director said: “We are honoured to accept this award and see all our work with the BDF and MOD pay off after four years of planning and delivery. The very essence of the project was embodied in the 200 years of collaboration between the UK and Bahrain, and the complexities of multi-national stakeholder engagement meant that the principles of collaborative working were a perfect approach to adopt.”
“We are very pleased to see the vision realised with improved operational capability and standards of living for serving personnel, and strengthened relations with Bahrain and allied forces.”
Situated on land in Mina Salman gifted to the UK by the King of Bahrain, the UKNSF gives the military dedicated facilities to augment its presence in the Middle East. Significant new domestic, catering, working and technical accommodation for up to 550 people provide the added benefits of improved security, enhanced wellbeing, and reducing operational costs.
Like many projects we have delivered around the globe – in locations such as Afghanistan, Nepal, Libya, or Kenya – delivering these facilities in Bahrain involved immersing ourselves in a very culturally different working environment. As an international consultancy, we pride ourselves on our understanding of local business practices and our ability to embrace cultural diversity whilst providing our client with host nation- and UK-compliant technical solutions.
Andrew added: “Our team’s success is owed in large part to the technical, behavioural, and cultural skills of our people, and the way in which our Bahraini and UK military hosts responded to assimilate our team into their own.”
We forward-deployed resources throughout construction and the design and procurement phase, providing project management, design, technical compliance, commercial and cost management, and construction management services. Technical experts based in the UK provided further support to our in-country team on structural and fire engineering and building control.
The Royal Navy hosted the grand opening of the facility in Mina Salman on 5th April, 2018. His Royal Highness, the Duke of York, gave the facility his seal of approval when he officially unveiled the completed facilities with Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Earlier this year, our collaboration was also shortlisted for Overseas Project of the Year at the Association for Project Management Awards 2018.
To learn more about the facility, visit the UKNSF project page.