The information contained within
this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside
information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU)
No. 596/2014 as amended by regulation 11 of the Market Abuse
(Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310. Upon the publication of
this announcement via Regulatory Information Service, this inside
information is now considered to be in the public
domain.
Optima Health plc
("Optima", the
"Company", and, together with its subsidiaries, the
"Group")
Optima Health to deliver medical services to
the UK's Armed Forces partnered with Serco
· Optima Health to deliver
medical services to the UK's Armed Forces partnered with Serco and
their specialist delivery partners in support of the Armed Forces
Recruitment Service
LONDON,
UK, 6 February 2025, Optima Health (AIM: OPT),
the UK's leading provider of technology enabled corporate health
and wellbeing solutions, today announces that Serco, the
international provider of critical government services, has been
selected by the UK Ministry of Defence as its partner to provide
recruitment services for the UK's Armed Forces, a joint recruitment
service including the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal
Air Force (the "Contract"). This Contract was tendered as a
consortium 'TEAM Serco' of specialist delivery partners, with
Optima Health being the exclusive medical assessments
provider.
The AFRS contract, which is expected to be
signed in the coming days, will be for seven years, plus options
for a further three one-year extensions. The component
subcontracted to Optima Health has an estimated value of £210m over
the initial seven-year term and £290m if all the options to extend
the contract are exercised. A 21-month mobilisation period is
expected to begin in April 2025 with the new service commencing in
early 2027.
Under the Contract, Optima will provide medical
assessment services in support of the end-to-end solution delivered
by TEAM Serco, from candidate attraction, through to assessment and
enlistment and into initial training.
Jonathan Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Optima Health,
said: "We are delighted to be selected as part of
TEAM Serco to deliver recruitment services for the UK's Armed
Forces.
Optima Health brings specialist medical expertise and
extensive track record of delivering government services at scale
and to a high quality. By partnering with Serco and TEAM
Serco specialist delivery partners, we believe we have a compelling
solution which will modernise and transform Armed Forces
recruitment.
The award of this contract is an exciting milestone aligned
with our overall strategy of growing our industry leading medical
solutions on a broader scale."
About AFRS
The Armed Forces Recruitment Service
(AFRS) is a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and TEAM
Serco, collaborating to achieve the right quality and quantity of
recruits (regular and reserve forces) into Phase 1 training to
achieve the workforce demands of each of the armed
services.
The principal members of Team Serco
are:
·
Serco -
will be responsible for integration of all programme activities to
be undertaken and will lead on transition from the current
recruitment arrangements, providing career advice, a new contact
centre, asset and fleet management, and estate
management.
·
Pegasystems
- specialises in enterprise transformation and
platform solutions, empowering leading organisations worldwide.
They are the current provider of the Recruiting Information
Technology System for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. By
leveraging intelligent automation and insights, Pega has
revolutionised and automated various stages of the recruitment
process, modernising and improving the candidate experience.
·
Adecco -
With a presence in 60 countries, Adecco is a global leader in
workforce solutions, supporting 3.5 million careers daily. It has
provided innovative recruitment services to the UK public sector
for over 30 years and is the appointed prime partner of the
tri-Service Australian Defence Force Recruiting
contract.
·
Akkodis -
As Adecco's in-house technology business, Akkodis specialises
in Talent Management Digital Solutions, with 20+ years supporting
the UK Ministry of Defence.
·
TMP -
the largest UK recruitment marketing agency, with over 80 industry
awards for creativity and effectiveness. Their attraction and
awareness campaigns utilise 1,200 media channels to recruit hard to
fill roles across the public and private sector, plus the early
careers space.
·
Optima Health
- the UK's leading provider of employee health
assessments, supporting over 10% of the entire UK working
population. With a team of over 1,600 employees, including over 800
clinicians, they deliver over a million clinical assessments each
year throughout the UK, including at over 50
clinics.
·
PA Consulting
- works across the defence and security ecosystem, helping it
to innovate and transform. Their people are experienced industry
professionals and leaders in building innovative systems and
solutions, using their experience and relationships to challenge
conventional thinking, foster ingenuity and deliver rapid
results.
·
Military Preparation College
for Training- MPCT is a leading provider of
vocational education and training for people aged 16+ in the UK.
With a focus on fitness, vocational qualifications, and
employability skills, MPCT prepares learners for rewarding careers
in the Armed Forces or uniformed services.
Enquiries
Optima Health
Jonathan Thomas, CEO
Heidi Giles, CFO
|
+44(0)3300085113
media@OptimaHealth.co.uk
|
Nominated Adviser and Corporate Broker
Panmure Liberum Limited
Emma Earl / Will Goode / Mark
Rogers
Rupert Dearden
|
+44 (0)20 3100 2000
|
UK
Financial PR Adviser
ICR Healthcare
Mary-Jane Elliott / Angela Gray /
Lindsey Neville
|
optimahealth@icrinc.com
|
|
|
About Optima
Health
Optima Health is the UK's leading provider of
occupational health and wellbeing services, directly influencing
and improving people's lives for 25 years. Optima Health's
incredible team of professionals quickly and effectively
encapsulate client's needs, supporting organisations of all shapes
and sizes. Through tailored solutions and innovative systems,
Optima Health offers unparalleled clinical expertise to its
clients. These solutions ensure that processes are simple and allow
its clients to spend more time focusing on their employees driving
a healthy, high-performing workplace. For more information visit
www.optima health.co.uk