The Ministry of Defence is actively scoping the market for a new contract to operate the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate – one of the British Army’s most distinctive training establishments – as its long-running Private Finance Initiative agreement approaches expiry.
The college is the Army’s dedicated Phase 1 training environment for Junior Soldiers aged 16–18, making it a unique and operationally critical asset within the defence estate. The upcoming procurement covers a broad services bundle including Hard and Soft Facilities Management, Healthcare, Learning Support, Clerical, and IT – a scope that will attract interest from both prime contractors and specialist subcontractors across the defence supply chain.
Significantly, the Army is also evaluating whether the site needs expanded capacity, which could signal new infrastructure investment on top of the core services contract – a detail that substantially raises the ceiling on this opportunity.
The MOD held a Preliminary Market Engagement event on 16 April 2026, with briefing materials and a Q&A document now published. A formal Request for Information (RFI) has been issued, and the Authority is actively seeking industry feedback to shape its understanding of current market capability.
Key dates for suppliers:
- Clarification questions deadline: 30 April 2026 (23:59 GMT)
- MOD responses to clarifications: 5 May 2026 (23:59 GMT)
- RFI response submission deadline: 8 May 2026 (23:59 GMT)
Responses and clarification questions should be directed to: army-comrcl-complex-proc-mailbox@mod.gov.uk
The full RFI and supporting documents are available via the UK Defence contracts portal. Reference notice: contracts.mod.uk
Image: UK MOD © Crown copyright 2022
