The Capability Accelerator Hub has reached practical completion, marking the delivery of a First Sea Lord priority Royal Navy initiative through a ten-month programme spanning concept design to operational handover.
Delivered by KBS Maritime on behalf of the Royal Navy, the Capability Accelerator Hub was taken forward using a spiral development approach: refining design and delivery in stages alongside the end user, rather than through a single fixed specification set at the outset. This kept infrastructure delivery closely aligned to evolving operational needs, connecting initial concept and approved design with construction and the transition into operations.
That approach depended on sustained collaboration across every phase of the programme. KBS Maritime worked throughout with its delivery partners: Force Development Services, SCi/E-volve, SALE Group, Evolution Security, Pritchard Architects and Mildren Construction, whose combined scope covered fit-out, building power systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), security and access control, and incoming power infrastructure. Each contractor’s early and continued involvement, from concept design through to commissioning, was central to a coordinated handover.
At its core, the Capability Accelerator Hub connects the Royal Navy with industry and academia, providing a test and development sandbox for the integration of new capabilities. The facility is designed to accelerate the delivery of new technology to the Royal Navy, by providing infrastructure that supports a repeatable, faster route from identifying a capability need to delivering it on the front line, the Hub will help the Royal Navy generate enduring operational advantage.
James Davis, Managing Director, KBS Maritime, said, “Pace matters because the Royal Navy needs to turn new ideas into operational capability quickly. Infrastructure has to enable that, not hold it back. This Hub brings that connection into focus – providing the environment to test new technology and help move it towards front-line use. For KBS Maritime, it reflects our wider purpose of keeping infrastructure aligned with the Navy’s changing needs so it can support readiness today and the capabilities needed tomorrow.”
The ten-month journey from initial concept to ribbon-cutting demonstrates how an adaptable approach and close partnership can bring infrastructure into service at pace, in support of the Royal Navy’s operational priorities.
Chris Delahunt, Project Manager, KBS Maritime, said, “Completing the Capability Accelerator Hub in ten months, through concept, design, construction and into live operation, reflects the strength of the collaborative approach we took from the outset. Every contractor on this programme stayed engaged through each phase of development, and the support we had from the Naval Base’s own digital and security teams made for a genuinely joined-up transition into operations. I’d like to thank everyone across the team for their contribution in getting us here.”
Capability Accelerator Hub is now fully operational and has transitioned into Royal Navy use at Portsmouth Naval Base.
