Contract caterer Sodexho, which has £100m-worth of business with the Ministry of Defence, is now providing additional support at Army training camps in Europe, and although its staff would go to the Middle East in the event of war, they would not go to the front line. "There are 300 catering staff abroad at the moment, but there are usually none," confirmed Andy Leach, managing director of Sodexho Defence.
Leach said that contractors were now playing a bigger role in war than ever before. Although the US Army is more advanced than European forces in taking contractors to war with it, other countries are following suit. "The US Army can't move without contractor support. It's an essential part of the modern military.
"Only volunteers will be sent from the catering team. But there are lots of ex-military people in our ranks, so there will be no shortage of volunteers," he said.
Leach was confident that the threat of a long-term war would not damage contracts at home, even if the majority of the Army was mobilised. He said it was unlikely that entire garrisons would empty out, nor would Sodexho lose income if the war dragged on. "Some contracts have mechanisms that mean income will reduce in certain situations, but there are lots of bells and whistles in place. If it goes on [beyond 12 months], we will close buildings and redeploy staff. There will still be routine jobs to be done."
Mike Sparrow, managing director of Compass's government services division, which operates a £100m contract for the Armed Forces, said that in the event of a long-term military campaign new recruits and support staff would still need to be fed in the UK - including soldiers' families still on camps.
Aramark, which operates a £35m contract, was tentative. A spokesman said: "Business in our combined services division will peak and trough as some bases become busier and others downsize considerably. We will be reallocating resources accordingly."
* Reports that 6,000 reservists are being called up will strike at the heart of many businesses. Sodexho confirmed that some 30-40 of its staff are expecting to be called up. Aramark said it had 15-20 reservists across all lines of business.
Source: Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine, 13 - 19 February 2003