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Sopra Steria to support Pinnacle Group in enhancing accommodation experience for Armed Forces

Land June 30, 2021

Sopra Steria will support Pinnacle Group in fulfilling the newly awarded National Accommodation Management contract, as part of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) Accommodation contract.

The seven-year deal will see Sopra Steria deliver enhanced estates management services and experiences to serving military personnel and their families on behalf of Pinnacle Group.

The overall contract will involve the management of a portfolio of more than 49,000 service family accommodations (SFA).

Sopra Steria’s new estates management platform and digital services will increase insight into the issues impacting SFA occupants, transforming their experience. This includes, improving accessibility for the families of military personnel, and enabling proactive interventions into non-maintenance related issues. This improved experience not only benefits occupants, but also the MoD itself, increasing the optimisation of their estates planning and increasing numbers of occupied SFA in the long-term.

Pinnacle will provide families with better support when moving in and out of housing, as well as improved customer experience when it comes to selecting their accommodation should they need to move in or out.  Regional Accommodation Management Providers will integrate with Sopra Steria platforms to align digital maintenance management, contact centre services and housing management as one estates management platform.

As the digital transformation lead, Sopra Steria will be providing estates integration, on behalf of Pinnacle, bringing together all stakeholders including Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) – a joint venture between Sopra Steria and the Cabinet Office –and third-party maintenance providers onto a central platform.

The strong existing relationship between Sopra Steria and SSCL, will enable better collaboration to meet the needs of SFA occupants. For the first time, this will also create a central repository for all 49,000 SFA properties to better manage maintenance requests and store information on each accommodation.

Thanks to SSCL’s contact centre capabilities, families will also be able to report any issues via multiple communication channels including phone, email, chat, social and voice or via an app, and track service requests and relevant information more easily via the Sopra Steria digital platform. Additionally, this will build a single view of occupants’ requests to better manage their experience and ensure the timely delivery of required action.

Air Commodore James Savage, DIO Head of Accommodation, said: “Accommodation is such an important part of family life for Servicemen and women, which is why we collaborated closely with representatives of our Service personnel and their families to develop these contracts and ensure that their needs are fully considered.  

 “These new contracts offer the opportunity to break decisively from the past and to build on the commitments made by all suppliers to innovate and deliver more responsive and flexible services to the Armed Forces and their families.” 

Sue-Ellen Wright, Managing Director, Aerospace, Defence and Security at Sopra Steria, said: “We truly value the service of those in the Armed Forces and are dedicated to ensuring they and their families have the best experience possible when managing housing and accommodation. Winning this contract will allow us to do just that; providing military families with more digital touchpoints to enhance their experience of living in service family accommodation, accelerate resolutions and proactively minimise any potential disruption to their lives.”

This is the second estates management contract with the MoD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) that Sopra Steria has been awarded, with the organisation currently supporting the delivery of a Single Living Accommodation Management Information System. This builds on a long-standing relationship between Sopra Steria and the DIO.

image © MOD Crown Copyright

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DIO FDIS Future Defence Infrastructure Services National Accommodation Management Sopra Steria

Post written by: Matt Brown