2018 June Consulting Matters by Consult Australia

WINTER 2018

Infrastructure Governance

iBodies

What do they bring to Infrastructure Governance?

All signs point towards better long term Infrastructure Planning in WA

22 See the wood, and the trees

2019 Awards for Excellence

SAVE THE DATE Wednesday, 10 October 2018 Park Hyatt Melbourne Victoria

Consulting Matters

CONTENTS

14 20

‘iBodies’ – What do they bring to Infrastructure Governance? Industry updates Industry updates

New members

‘iBodies’ – What do they bring to Infrastructure Governance?

All signs point towards better long term Infrastructure Planning in WA

Business essentials

What’s happening in Consult Australia From the President

From the CEO

Division updates

Half Yearly Policy Update

Super and the Gender Gap

Features

Super and the Gender Gap

See the wood, and the trees

Making Strategy Happen in Infrastructure Governance

Corporate Social Responsibility RedR Report: Ted McDonnell

A return to collaborative contracting?

Infrastructure governance: leadership is still key!

What are the best infrastructure investments to make? Is it based on economics, or resilience, or both? 16

Project case study Surface Water Management

Not a member of Consult Australia? To find out more about how your firm can benefit from membership contact Consult Australia on (02) 8252 6700 or email membership@consultaustralia.com.au www.consultaustralia.com.au

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Industry updates

Industry updates MERGERS / ACQUISITIONS / ALLIANCES AND PARTNERSHIPS SLR Consulting has announced that it will partner with Charterhouse Capital Partners, a leading European private equity firm, to support the business in its next phase of growth and development. It is anticipated that completion will take place by mid-2018. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board, Aurecon’s new Regional Centre of Excellence for Digital Engineering serves as an extension of the company’s Digital Futures team. This Centre is the first of its kind for Aurecon and is dedicated to solving client challenges with emerging digital technologies and alternative business models.

Two leading providers of software solutions for firms in the built and natural environment, BST Global and Newforma, have announced a strategic alliance. This alliance has enabled them to jointly develop the BST Newforma Connector which connects BST’s enterprise resource planning and work management solutions with the Newforma Project Center.

APPOINTMENTS FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, has appointed Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE as its new Chief Executive Officer after a year-long extensive search to find a successor for current Managing Director, Enrico Vink who will be retiring later this year. Nelson is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Association for Consultancy and Engineering in the UK

and is a professional chartered engineer, an accomplished consulting engineering businessman and lobbyist with more than 35 years of experience gained in the UK and global arena. Dr Daiquan Yang has been appointed Senior Principal Geotechnical Engineer at Tonkin + Taylor’s Melbourne office. Daiquan has delivered geotechnical solutions for large infrastructure projects across New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, and has more than 30 years’ experience in geotechnical interpretation, review, design, proof engineering and construction support. Arcadis has appointed Greg Harrison as Business Leader for Advisory and Sustainability in Australia. Greg joined Arcadis in 2016 and has over 24 years' experience across infrastructure and development sectors, including strategic transport and land use planning, procurement and advisory, business case development, transaction and due diligence, master planning and environmental consulting. SLR Consulting has announced the Principal appointment of Subathra Ramachandram who joins the Transactional Due Diligence team in Brisbane. Subathra has over 16 years' experience in project and program management, local and state government liaison, flood study investigation, dam failure impact assessment and coastal hazard adaption strategies. Aurecon has appointed Nial O’Brien as Global Service Leader – Roads. Nial has been with Aurecon for nearly 13 years and previously headed up the firm’s NSW roads group. Prior to this, he worked in the UK on both road and rail projects. Infrastructure Australia CEO, Phil Davies, will not be renewing his threeyear contract and will leave the advisory body in August. During his tenure, Phil has been responsible for delivering the inaugural Australian Infrastructure Audit and Australian Infrastructure Plan, and has been a leading voice for infrastructure reform. The recruitment process for a new Chief Executive has commenced.

Tonkin + Taylor has appointed Trevor Smith as Principal Engineering Geologist. Trevor has 30 years’ experience working across Australia and the Asia Pacific region. His major infrastructure successes include leading the geotechnical and hydrogeological investigations for the Melbourne Metro Rail Project. Aurecon has appointed Leighton Greenland as Infrastructure Leader in the Middle East. Leighton brings 26 years’ experience as a chartered civil and structural engineer and supervised the construction of major public and private infrastructure projects in Ireland, the UK and the Middle East. Leighton will be based in Aurecon’s offices in Dubai. Professional Engineers Queensland has appointed Associate Professor Nagaratnam Sivakugan (as academic representative) and Suzy Cairney (left) (as legal representative) to its Board. Dawson Wilkie has been reappointed Chairperson and regional representative and current Board members Evelyn Storey, Yvonne Pengilly, Sarah Hansen and Peter Evans will continue in their current positions. Justine Kinch has joined Arcadis as Client and Operations Director – Property, Energy and Resources (PER). Justine has over 20 years’ experience across urban design, strategic infrastructure and urban renewal, and was most recently Western Sydney Director for AECOM. Jane Moran has been appointed to the role of Newcastle Office Manager at Aurecon. Jane has worked across an impressive range of projects, from Queensland’s first light rail project to the M12 motorway.

Industry updates

SLR Consulting has announced the senior appointment of Technical Director Andrew Quinn to further strengthen the firm’s Waste and Resources Management service in the Asia Pacific region. Andrew has over 25 years’ experience including expert witness and due diligence for waste projects, resource recovery facility concept design and master planning, operational systems assessments, resource recovery technology research, along with strategy and policy development. Beca has appointed David Silvester as Principal Transport Advisory based in Melbourne. David joins Beca with strong strategic integrated transport planning and investment experience, including development of business cases, governance arrangements and a track-record of promoting innovation and new initiatives across Australasia. Colin Stapleton has been appointed Principal at SLR Consulting. Colin joins the Waste and Resources Management team based in Melbourne, and has over 14 years' experience specialising in landfill and waste environmental projects in both the private and public sector. GHD has appointed May Ngui as Manager for ACT & Southern NSW. May is a trailblazer for women in engineering, an advocate for diversity and was the first woman appointed to the Board in 2009. She is also a Fellow of Engineers Australia. May has worked on many challenging projects and most recently been led GHD’s Western Sydney office.

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Cardno has appointed Peter Miller as Project Director for the Strategy and Business Development team in the Asia Pacific region, based in Brisbane. Peter has over 34 years’ experience across design management and design interface in Australia and internationally. Locally, he has worked on significant projects including the award-winning Legacy Way Tunnel. SMEC Australia has announced a number of senior appointments: Adam Watts as National Manager - Roads and Highways; Jeffrey Davis as Market Leader Transport & Logistics QLD/NT; Paul Davis as Market Leader - Transport & Logistics NSW/ACT; and Luis Batista as State Market Leader - Transport & Logistics VIC/SA/WA/TAS.

Editor Mark Rock

President Kiri Parr

Chief Executive Officer Megan Motto

Executive Assistant to CEO

Former Infrastructure Australia chairs, Sir Rod Eddington and Mark Birrell, have been seconded by the South Australian Government to advise on the establishment of Infrastructure SA. Specifically, they will review and advise Premier Steven Marshall on the proposed form, structure and function of the new body, as well as its initial statement of expectations and the draft Infrastructure SA Bill 2018. Arcadis has appointed global rail expert Michel Fleuren to lead its Australian Rail business. Fleuren joins from Arcadis in the Netherlands, where he held various roles including the Head of Department of Rail Studies and Rail Signalling, and Leader of Integrated Staffing.

Eric Yang

Accounts Guillaume Marchand

Director – Membership & Commercial Services Kisanne Dulin

Director State Operations Manager SA & NT Jan Irvine

Director – Policy & Government Relations Nicola Grayson

Marketing Manager Mark Rock

Corporate Designer Voltaire Corpuz

Administration Assistant Oskar Baran

Editorial submissions

Infrastructure Australia has appointed Peter Colacino, as Executive Director of Policy and Research. Peter was previously NRMA's Executive GM for Corporate Affairs and brings with him a wealth of experience from government and industry roles. Kevin Miller has been appointed Digital Practice Leader by Aurecon in the Middle East (based in Dubai). Kevin, a technologyfocused engineer with over 17 years’ experience helping companies improve efficiency through harnessing the power of digital platforms, is also concurrently Aurecon’s Data Centre and Telco Leader in the Middle East. He leads Aurecon’s regional team developing, optimising and maintaining efficient and sustainable data centres.

Transformation Director, Hena Rana, has moved to Beca in Queensland from the Auckland office. Hena has worked on streamlining and leading improvement change management and transformation programs for a wide variety of organisations from Government Defence projects through to privately listed firms.

AWARDS Aurecon was recently recognised for its contribution to the South Australian built environment by being awarded Property Business of the Year, South Australia, from the Property Council of Australia (PCA).

mark@consultaustralia.com.au

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Industry updates

From the President For Consult Australia, infrastructure governance is the framework through which we can challenge the rules we all play by in the built environment and the outcomes those rules deliver.

The campaign of course continues, because whilst we have Infrastructure Australia and four states with their own Infrastructure Bodies (including most recently Western Australia), we are far from a having uniform approach. To take us on a small historical detour, one of Australia's founding fathers, Andrew Inglis Clark (an engineer as well as a barrister and politician) made this observation in a speech: Looming in the background of this issue is the story playing out in the Royal Commission into Banking, which seems to be throwing up endless scenarios where the rules of the game inside banking organisations and their regulators have allowed, if not enabled, poor outcomes for customers and many others. For Consult Australia, infrastructure governance is the framework through which we can challenge the rules we all play by in the built environment and the outcomes those rules deliver. In speaking to so many of you it is clear thatâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;whilst we all operate in a competitive business environmentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we actually want to deliver great projects that are delivering for everybody; that it is for our staff, clients, society and the environment. When Consult Australia released its iBodies - Infrastructure Governance in Australia report in January of this year the headline in the Fifth Estate was "Consult Australia's plan to end infrastructure pork-barrelling" which perfectly pitched the problem we have with the politicisation of project delivery in Australia which undermines the right projects being delivered.

"Unhappily, gentlemen, history teaches us that although perpetual progress is the law of humanity retrogression in special cases is possible; and it is the possibility of political retrogression in consequence of a forgetfulness and violation of the principles we have met to magnifyâ&#x20AC;Ś that we may be preserved against the insidious contamination of the indifference and lethargy of the majority around us." From: http://www.utas.edu.au/library/ exhibitions/clark/speeches.html Andrew Clark was fighting for federation and universal male suffrage. We have come some way along that path I dare say. Consult Australis is our platform to come together to champion progress and constant improvement for the built environment. It is an endless and sometimes thankless task but a critical one nonetheless and all of our businesses and the built environment are benefiting as a result. Enjoy winter everyone!

Kiri Parr President

Industry updates

Consulting Matters

From the CEO We need to get the politics out of infrastructure! It’s a mantra we hear all too often, and is echoed through industry and the community alike. But is it realistic? And if not completely, how can we as a society at least develop more mechanisms for accountability and better decision making? It is these mechanisms that are so important and well recognised as drivers of good behaviour. In firms, they drive better decision-making and give guidance for community and stakeholder expectations of fair, reasonable and ethical behaviour and accountable corporate culture. If any business owner doubted the importance of such framework, they need only to follow the banking royal commission to develop a feel for community tolerance of poor behaviour. Consult Australia has long been an advocate of Infrastructure Australia (IA) for this very reason. It’s dual role as an independent assessor of project business cases for federal funding, and its strategic role of national planning and policy development help to create a rigour for our infrastructure decision making. This helps to (at least to a reasonable extent) hold our politicians and decision makers to account. This was most recently evidenced by the funding announcements made in the Federal Budget in May. Of all the new project funding announcements, all were drawn from the higher priority projects on the IA priority list. However, the constraints of the legislative parameters for IA mean that we cannot as a nation stop there. IA only deals with project assessments that a) require some element of Commonwealth funding, b) are

projects of national significance and c) are above a $100M capital threshold. Given that the majority of projects around Australia do not meet these criteria, the governance arrangements offered by such independent analysis and advice must drill further down in our Federated model. To this extent we are pleased that jurisdictions have slowly been responding to Consult Australia’s calls to action state based iBodies. INSW and IVic, along with Projects QLD (which is more of a hybrid model) have now been established for some time. The new McGowan government in WA came into power with IWA as part of its election commitment, and Steven Marshall has just announced his key advisors to shape Infrastructure SA. It was timely then, that Consult Australia launched our iBodies thought leadership paper earlier in the year. This report, which analyses the different legislative and operational frameworks of the bodies set up to date, compares them to international agencies and suggests frameworks for best practice, has been well received by stakeholders around the country. It has provided Consult Australia and its members with a valuable tool to enable meaningful conversations to continue to strengthen governance in infrastructure. We have now been informed that multiple international agencies have developed a keen interest in our report, including New Zealand, Colombia and Argentina. So, it seems the good work of Consult Australia is now going global!

As an industry of technical excellence, our members can design beautiful projects of any type, but as an industry of integrity and ethical conscience, we would certainly prefer to be working on elegant projects that also deliver significant economic, environmental and liveability benefits for all Australians.

Megan Motto Consult Australia

This is an example of how our broader public policy work will have real impacts on the work of our members going forward.

It’s dual role [Infrastructure Australia] as an independent assessor of project business cases for federal funding, and its strategic role of national planning and policy development help to create a rigour for our infrastructure decision making.

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What’s happening at Consult Australia

Division Updates With varying market conditions around the country Consult Australia’s state and territory managers share their insights on key challenges and opportunities for our member firms.

QLD

Jillian Carney It’s been a busy few months in Queensland, now the dust has settled from the election and the success of the Commonwealth Games is behind us, we can report on a number of advocacy areas of concern to consultants. Labour Hire Licensing Scheme QLD With the release of the Labour Hire Licensing Bill in 2017, Consult Australia Queensland wrote to the Minister for the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations raising concerns with the definition of a provider of labour hire services in the Bill. Given the broad definition of ‘a provider’ it was not clear whether the Bill was intended to capture professionals working on a secondment basis and Consult Australia Queensland requested confirmation that the Bill would exclude professional secondees and that such secondment arrangements, if not specifically excluded within the Bill, would be exempted under Regulations. During the formal consultation phase earlier, this year as the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations developed the Labour Hire Licensing Regulations, Consult Australia Queensland provided further detailed feedback on ensuring professional secondments were not caught up in the Labour Hire Licensing Scheme.

the repercussions of such changes on the consulting industry. We will continue with these discussions and keep you informed of any further updates. Supplier Code of Conduct, Department of Housing and Public Works As a representing body on the Department of Housing and Public Works, Procurement Industry Advisory Group we were presented with a Draft Supplier Code of Conduct for review and feedback to the Department. The Code of Conduct includes a number of business ‘standards’ that add an additional layer to the procurement process that we do not agree with and have suggested the standards outlined in the Code of Conduct are currently regulated through a number of channels, including Professional Associations and regulated learning and professional conduct. Upcoming Events in QLD include the following: Tendering is the gateway to big contracts and big clients. Workshops June to Oct 18 – 5 workshop series. What the Game of Thrones’ Battle of the Bastards Teaches Us About Punching Way Above Our Weight! - Workshop 18 July 2018

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With the release of the Regulations on 16 April, Consult Australia Queensland can confirm that professional secondees are not captured within the Scheme. Principal Arranged Insurance (PAI) 2018 to 2020 Department of Transport and Main Roads The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads has advised Consult Australia that it has renewed its Principal Arranged Professional indemnity insurance programme for construction projects. This policy is the basis for the Engineering Consultancy Services contract so these changes affect all parties who are a member of that scheme. Members are advised that a key change to the policy is the removal of the provision for consultants to make claims under the policy for "first party" losses. This is expected to have a direct impact on consultants in D+C contract forms. Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Department of Transport and Main Roads. For appropriate contact details and the revised policy information please contact Consult Australia Queensland. We have engaged with the Department to discuss

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What’s happening at Consult Australia

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VIC

The Victorian Division Committee continues to closely monitor the progress of the legislation currently before the Parliament for a mandatory registration system for engineers in Victoria. The legislation has passed its first and second reading in the Legislative Assembly, but (at the time of writing) has yet to be debated in the Legislative Council. Members of the Committee have met with the Shadow Building Minister and contacted members of the Legislative Council to put forward concerns about the legislation as drafted.

Our strong advocacy work on Fairer Contracts and push for Better Long-Term Planning in WA continues. On the Fairer Contracts front it was pleasing to see our Submission to the Langoulant Inquiry was quoted numerous time within the Inquiry’s report, in particular to do with issue regarding risk management and apportionment. Pleasingly there are a number of recommendations from the Inquiry’s findings which align with ours and we are working hard and collaboratively to ensure such recommendations are followed through and implemented as soon as possible. We have also since held a combined event on the topic, together with the Master Builders and Society of Construction Law, and were pleased to have a very impressive cross section of industry representatives, including our own Kiri Parr President of Consult Australia, participate in what was a very well attended and constructive event.

Nicola Grayson

The Committee is reviewing the current capacity issues in Victoria given the substantial volume of work in the State. Committee members have conducted a trial survey to gather data, which it is reviewing against the results of the national Consult Australia Skills Survey. A strategy will then be developed to engage Infrastructure Victoria, the Office of the Coordinator General for Major Projects, and industry partners, on ways to address. A Board Room Lunch in July has been arranged with the Coordinator General for Major Projects, Corey Hannett. Indigenous participation requirements are also being considered by the Committee, and the Committee is looking at cadetship opportunities and seeking advice that can be shared with Division members. Also check our upcoming events list on the website for details of our upcoming events including the FutureNet: Trivia Night – 28 June 2018 and Meet the Client with Dr Collette Burke, the Victorian Chief Engineer on Tuesday 24 July.

Steve Coghlan

On the Long-Term Planning front is looks as if the bulk of our recommendations on the structure and remit of Infrastructure WA will be included by the State Government. A further feature article within this edition of Consulting Matters goes to explain more about our long term involvement in advocating for this important independent statutory authority. With such a great start to the year for our event series in WA, the second half schedule for both Consult Australia and FutureNet is to be announced shortly. Watch this space!

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What’s happening at Consult Australia

Jan Irvine With a new State Government together with several newly minted Ministers holding portfolios of most interest to our members, the past couple of months have primarily seen the Division identifying and prioritising stakeholders and developing a strategy to engage. As many of our key advocacy positions and work is of a long-standing nature it is imperative we bring these matters to the attention of those who now can affect change. To progress issues already on the table, we have met with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) to discuss current and future changes to procurement methods and processes within government generally and in particular the procurement process of professional services in Government building projects. Our leading concern was the practice of procuring “architect led teams”, in which engineers are subcontractors to the architect, may lead to undesirable consequences such as: • The integrity of the selection of engineers in such teams may be compromised because it does not necessarily echo the DPTI and SA Government procurement principles. The DPTI procurement principles of value based selection, which is based on a balance of fees with experience, capability and capacity, may not flow through to the selection of engineers when they are subcontracted. As a result, DPTI may not be engaging the most suitably skilled engineers on its projects. • The engineering community may not be given full opportunity to tender on DPTI building projects.

•T here is considerable wasted effort in the tendering process which places a burden on the consulting industry and increases the cost of doing business with DPTI. Currently each tendering architect must run its own procurement process for engineers, with each tendering engineer having to participate in multiple different procurement processes. This is an impost on both engineers and architects. Supporting our discussion on the above a response was submitted with regard to the market sounding for The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Stage Three redevelopment. Still on the subject of contracting, DPTI is endeavouring to improve its Master Specification and Contact Specific Technical Requirements (CSTR) documents. Consult Australia is currently working with the Department to assist where possible with progressive solutions that deliver better projects, assets and community benefit via simpler documentation with fewer DPTI standards and more reference to industry best practice. We recently engaged in further consultation with a more detailed session held with the Manager Technical Services, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure and the SA Executive Committee. There is much work to be done in this space and we continue to work for the best possible outcomes for our members. The Division’s highly engaging industry breakfasts continue to be well supported and we look forward to continuing these in the new financial year – along with a number of our extremely successful Boardroom Luncheons. Gold Sponsors:

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Jan Irvine The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics (DIPL) and Consult Australia Working Group continues the collaborative approach to providing solutions to challenges experienced from both sides of the fence—meeting quarterly to enhance the relationship between government and industry. In the April meeting procurement was once again front and centre. Comment previously provided to DIPL on the limitation of liability (clause 19) of the conditions of contract were passed on to the Department of Trade, Business and Innovation (DTBI), resulting in direct communication with the Director, Procurement Policy DTBI, whose team is currently reviewing procurement documentation and has now invited Consult Australia to provide feedback for consideration. DIPL advised that their Tier Four and Tier Five procurement plans now include the approval mechanisms for limited liability, further advising that Project Officers are to identify this on their procurement plans. No plans have been made at this stage to include this on Tier Three contracts as this would need to be part of DBTI changes prior to any application to Tier Three contracts. The quality of tender documents consultants are creating for the Department was an agenda item and Consult Australia confirmed provision of feedback at the debrief stage and prior to tendering

would be preferred. DIPL advised they will now check documents prior to tendering and give feedback and amendments to the Project Officer/Consultant before the tender is released to market, and at the debrief stage. It was noted Project Officers should be providing feedback throughout the tender stage. The next meeting is scheduled for July and members will be kept up to date via the NT Update email. A Boardroom Breakfast with the Darwin Innovation Hub’s Project Director Janet Kosic was held in late May. The Hub assists with those first steps on the innovation pathway to the future such as building capabilities to get products and services into international markets faster, especially into Asia. It also helps local industry and businesses, including indigenous businesses, embrace innovation, diversifying the regional economy and creating jobs in the Northern Territory. Delegates enjoyed the opportunity to hear firsthand how the Hub ‘works’ and how consultants can become involved. Look out for email updates on future Member Only Boardroom Breakfasts in the NT Update! Gold Sponsors:

What’s happening at Consult Australia

NSW

Jody McGann Over the past three months since our last update, Consult Australia in NSW has been busy working on a number of key state advocacy issues and ensuring our members have access to and connect with key stakeholders and influencers in the built and natural environment. We have met twice with Mr Michael Daley, NSW Deputy Opposition Leader, Shadow Minister for Planning and Infrastructure to discuss the recommendations arising from our iBodies: Infrastructure Governance Report and to discuss our views on NSW’s current approach to procurement. Mr Daley expressed his support for the four key components we identified for an effective ‘iBody’ – independence, planning, assessment and pipeline. Our detailed procurement discussions focussed on the current legislative issues in NSW around proportionate liability, and current procurement policies and ways to improve the procurement process. Mr Daley asked to be kept informed on further Consult Australia thought leadership work around procurement policy reforms. We have continued to work closely with Transport for NSW (TfNSW) through our quarterly engagement meetings where we have had the opportunity to raise issues and concerns around procurement and contract conditions and also gain valuable insight into key issues and priorities for the agency. Through this regular engagement we have also been able to secure a trial to evaluate fairer risk allocation contracts. The trial is currently in progress and is aimed at testing the removal of the contracting out of proportionate liability clauses.

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We have further established a regular working group with industry association colleagues to identify common issues where we can advocate as a united industry voice. The current focus areas for the group include risk allocation, procurement policies and processes, and the time and cost of tendering. We have also partnered with the City of Sydney to explore Planning Pathways to Net Zero Buildings. A series of industry forums will take place throughout the remainder of the year to further understand the planning challenges of how to achieve low-carbon, high efficiency buildings and precincts in order to contribute to NSW’s target of net zero emissions by 2050 and to reduce climate change impacts. Through our events we have also provided members with access to Ms Leilani Frew, CEO Infrastructure and Project Financing Agency, Mr Steven Troughton, Deputy Secretary, Infrastructure and Services, Transport for NSW, Mr Barry Mann, CEO Urban Growth NSW Development Corporation, and have undertaken an industry briefing on the new Building Product (Safety) Act 2017. As we continue to work with and across the various governments, agencies and stakeholder groups to ensure that our key advocacy areas are progressed no doubt the next three months will be just as busy and productive.

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ACT

Kevin Keith It has been a busy but productive three months down in the ACT, as Consult Australia have been involved in a number of key projects and submissions. Built Environment Coalition Consult Australia initiated then worked jointly with the Master Builders Association to set up a ‘Built Environment Coalition’ with the Presidents / Chairs and Senior Officers of the following institutions: Consult Australia, Master Builders Association, The Property Council, The Housing Institute, The Institute of Architects, Engineers Australia, The Canberra Business Council and The Planning Institute. The first meeting was a great success with areas of strong policy overlap particularly around long-term planning and related skills development. The group met again in early June to discuss the ACT Budget. DE JA VU on Light Rail Stage Two Consult Australia has repeated its call for an independent infrastructure body in the ACT, as politicians clashed over the proposed route for the second stage of light rail in the nation’s capital. Interviews took place on local radio with a statement issued by Kevin Keith saying: “With politics comes the pressure of shorter cycles, encouraging leaders to zoom in: daily headlines, fortnightly news polls, seemingly continuous campaigns for endless local, regional and national elections. Yet infrastructure requires leaders to zoom out, to think in decades and focus on a vision way beyond their tenure.” City and Gateway Urban Design Framework Consult Australia, alongside the Canberra Business Chamber, Property Council and Master Builders Association, submitted a joint response to the National Capital Authority and ACT Government City and Gateway Draft Urban Design Framework. The submission calls for clarity regarding the purpose of the framework; the promotion of design excellence and sustainable design; certainty for the private sector; quick implementation to ensure realisation under the framework and density as a key outcome. It also mentions the necessity for an infrastructure plan. Median Fee Formula – Autumn Social A big thank you to Darren Smith and David Grey from the ACT Government alongside all those from our member firms who attended the Autumn social kindly hosted by Jacobs. A lively

discussion took place on the Median Fee Formula which will be progressed further by a group from the ACT Committee presenting back to the ACT Government, industry's thoughts on the topic. New FutureNet Chair Congratulations to Courtenay Douglas, from Jacobs, who is the new chair of the ACT FutureNet committee, which is now 12 strong with a majority female membership. Courtenay follows in the footstep of Brachy Wilson who has resigned his position due to relocation. In the city about the city… Consult Australia also recently held a boardroom lunch with Kate Lynch, General Manager, City Deals and Engagement, from the Cities Division in the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities. It also welcomed the Secretary of the Department, Dr. Steven Kennedy PSM for a boardroom lunch on the 21 June. Check out the website for further details on upcoming events in the ACT.

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What’s happening at Consult Australia Consulting Matters

2018 Half Yearly Policy Update STRENGTH BUILT ENVIRONMENT POLICY AND PIPELINE Strategic initiative: Thought Leadership, iBodies, Infrastructure Governance in Australia • Consult Australia has called for greater separation between politics, planning and projects, presenting a model infrastructure body or “iBody” for adoption by all jurisdictions following a comprehensive review of their existing governance procedures. Our report 'iBodies, Infrastructure Governance in Australia' launched on 30 January 2018 with an exclusive write up in the Australian Financial Review. • Print media articles followed in the Canberra Times (picked up in the SMH, The Age, Brisbane Times and WA Today), and the Adelaide Advertiser. Five Trade media publications, The Fifth Estate, Build Australia, Infrastructure Magazine, WA Business News, and 'Roads and Infrastructure' magazine (to be published) have covered the report. • The Report was also featured through four broadcast outlets, ABC Canberra, ABC Radio Perth, 2CC CANBERRA, and WIN TV. It has also been covered in The Fifth Estate and in Western Australia, South Australia, and ACT media. • The Western Australian Government shortly after announced that it would establish ‘Infrastructure WA’, following significant advocacy by Consult Australia and fellow industry coalition partners. The South Australia Government has also announced its intention to create ‘Infrastructure SA’. • We received a commendation from the CEO of Infrastructure Australia, who says, “ This work represents an important and timely thought leadership contribution to the sector, as well as, and most importantly to policy makers. I would like to commend and nominate Consult Australia for this work.” • Infrastructure Victoria’s Chief Executive also sent a note of commendation to Consult Australia saying that he has shared our paper with government officials from New Zealand, Argentina, and Columbia who are all considering ways of strengthening their infrastructure governance. Infrastructure & Urban Development: • The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Assistant Secretary for Cities attended Consult Australia’s Infrastructure and Urban Design Roundtable to give an overview of the Government’s Cities Policies. The new Cities Performance Framework was also discussed. • The Australian Financial Review quoted from Consult Australia’s Pre-Federal Budget Submission. Consult Australia’s submission puts forward a number of infrastructure funding proposals, but the asset recycling aspect was picked up as a result of America’s interest in the approach taken in Australia. • Consult Australia established a Business Case Working Group to explore a new piece of thought leadership in this area. Infrastructure Australia hosted the Working Group to discuss their business case work, and explore how Consult Australia could add value to business case development in Australia.

•C onsult Australia has also established an Asset Recycling Working Group to review the asset recycling opportunity in Australia, following on from the 2012 Infrastructure Australia report. It is in the process of developing its scope of work.

IMPROVE PROCUREMENT FOR BETTER PROJECT OUTCOMES Strategic initiative: Model Client Policy •C onsult Australia’s Model Client Policy, which has been advocated through a number of state procurement reviews, has now been launched as a whole of Australia campaign (launched 13 June 2018), receiving both radio and print media coverage. It has been circulated to key Government stakeholders across the country. • The ‘Model Client Policy’ by Consult Australia is a series of principles to ensure governments behave ethically and fairly in their dealings with their suppliers. It deliberately emulates existing model litigant policies in place across a number of jurisdictions to demonstrate that such a policy can be introduced. •T he Western Australian Department of Finance has indicated that it is going to work towards becoming a ‘Model Client’, and the Queensland Department of Main Roads, and Housing and Public Works have also indicated interest in the Policy. •T he Office of the Small Business Ombudsman is also working with Consult Australia to promote the policy within the Commonwealth Government. Strategic initiative: Centre for Procurement Excellence •C onsult Australia has developed a model for a Centre for Procurement Excellence. We have been invited to brief the office of the Commonwealth Minister for Finance on this initiative, with a view to seeking Government adoption of this proposal. The Centre’s primary function would be to improve procurement skills and capacity across government entities. Strategic initiative: The benefits of Standardisation •T he Global Infrastructure Hub has agreed to partner on a piece of work with Consult Australia to explore the benefits of standardising risk assessment and contractual terms and conditions used to engage consultants. A scoping document has been shared with the Global Infrastructure Hub with a view to developing this project in the second half of the year. Strategic initiative: Client engagement •D efence Co-Lab - Cooperation between Consultants, Contractors & Defence Two Defence | Industry ‘Co-Lab’ have been held so far this year, bringing together senior Defence officials, consultants and contractors. Initiated by Consult Australia, the Co-Lab has agreed a Terms of Reference and jointly developed a Charter to aid engagement.

Consulting Matters What’s happening at Consult Australia

Activities agreed to be delivered through the Co-Lab include a CEO breakfast; work to influence the agenda of the major national conference to make it more relevant to industry; and a nationwide consultation to help consultants and contractors better understand work that is coming up. Defence has also asked Consult Australia to step in as facilitator for an industry briefing held in Darwin. • Through its State Committees Consult Australia holds regular meetings with the following government agencies to engage on industry issues:

LEAD DEBATE ON THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Strategic initiative: Thought Leadership, Innovation in the built environment Consult Australia is partnering with Deloitte Access Economics to unlock innovation in project delivery. The initiative will see public and private sector client groups coming together with Consult Australia members to develop a clear understanding of the constraints and opportunities, with a view to increasing greater collaboration and innovation. The CRC for Low Carbon Living has provided funding to us for the project pilot event.

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LD: Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Q Infrastructure and Planning, Transport and Main Roads, Housing and Public Works, Queensland Rail, Queensland Health, and Building Queensland.

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SA: Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.

Smart Cities Guide

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NT: Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics.

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WA: Main Roads, Water Corp, and Finance.

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NSW: Roads and Maritime Services and Transport for NSW.

•C onsult Australia and the Smart Cities Council ANZ launched a Smart Cities Guide for Consultants, a tool kit to assist consultants better understand the role of data, design and technology in Cities.

• Consult Australia consulted with the leading Professional Indemnity (PI) Insurance brokers to produce a Practice Note for members on the extensions to standard PI insurance cover, which may be available to consultants. This provides guidance to members on what to look out for.

IMPROVE THE REGULATORY AND BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FOR FIRMS Impediments to Business Investment

STRENGTHEN THE TALENT PIPELINE Strategic initiative: Thought Leadership, STEM Education Reform • Consult Australia is working towards the launch of its recommendations for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) reforms to education in order to refocus our system onto these critical skills for our industry and our future. This piece of thought leadership looks at what is happening with STEM education from primary to tertiary education. This work has received input from the Science Teachers Association, and will be launched in the second half of the year. Strategic initiative: Mental Health in the Workplace • A Mental Health Working Group has been formed and is developing guidance and thought-leadership for Consult Australia members to support mental health in the workplace. With one in every five (20% or approximately 3.2 million) Australians projected to experience mental illness throughout their lives, promoting mentally healthy workplace environments is rapidly being recognised as a crucial factor for improving workforce retention, productivity and competitiveness. Strategic initiative: Addressing skills gaps through temporary/ permanent migration • Consult Australia held briefings with the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Jobs and Small Business to share the results of our skills short survey results and to discuss the impact of this year’s changes to the visa programmes on consulting businesses. Consult Australia, through the People & HR Roundtable, will be exploring a strategic initiative to seek Government support for reducing barriers in the migration system for critical skills needs in our sector.

•C onsult Australia has been invited to give evidence in July to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Inquiry into business impediments in the Australian economy following our comprehensive submission. The submission covered relevant areas to Consult Australia members including, infrastructure governance, contract and liability issues, engineering registration, and STEM education. Building Ministers’ Industry Forum •C onsult Australia was a signatory on a joint industry letter to the Federal Building Minister calling for the Building Ministers Forum to reconvene the industry forum in light of the recent Shergold & Weir report into improving the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems for the building and construction industry. The Minister has agreed to reconvene and that Consult Australia will be invited to participate. •N on-confirming building products, Consult Australia has provided two briefing notes to members on the status of the building product safety debate in Australia and potential impacts for members. The first issued in March covered the Australian Government’s position on building product safety. The second provided a report on the Shergold & Weir report to the Building Ministers Forum on Improving the Effectiveness of Compliance and Enforcement Systems for the Building and Construction Insurance across Australia. Registration of Engineers •C onsult Australia met with Victorian Treasury and Finance officials and Members of Parliament to discuss concerns regarding the drafting of the Engineers Registration Bill. We have also written to Premiers and Chief Ministers across the country calling for a national approach to registration, as opposed to a fragmented state by state approach, which will restrict movement of professionals across jurisdictional boarders, and impose unnecessary regulatory burdens on business. Budget 2018 response •C onsult Australia attended the Federal Budget Lock-up providing a briefing paper for members, sent out the night of the Budget announcement. Our media statement was picked up in the Australian, The Fifth Estate, and Roads and Infrastructure OnLine.

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A return to collaborative contracting? GETTING THE APPROPRIATE INFRASTRUCTURE GOVERNANCE IN PLACE SO THAT THE RIGHT PROJECTS ARE PICKED FOR FUNDING AND DELIVERY IS ESSENTIAL. THE FINAL HURDLE TO SUCCESSFUL INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, AND WHERE MANY A GOOD PROJECT CAN GO AWRY, IS IN THE CHOICE OF PROCUREMENT MODEL.

Collaborative contracting, particularly alliance contracting, has fallen out of favour over the last decade. However, given the scale and complexity of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure projects the advantages of alliance contracting would seem well suited to tackle these complexities and deliver best for project outcomes. The preference to engage through traditional forms of contracting is ironically contrary to the interests of most project owners, as the return to more conventional contracting models reinstated the misalignment of commercial objectives between project owners and non-owner participants that have long impeded improvements to construction productivity. Enthusiasm for collaborative contracting by those who usually determine the contracting model for a project (the project owners) tends to follow the cycles in the construction and engineering market. The preference of project owners for the risk transfer and price certainty associated with conventional contracting is greatest when industry participants are hungry for work, and are prepared to price risks aggressively to win the contract. When the industry is busy, project participants become more selective about the work that they tender for, and the

SAVE THE DATE 20-21 February 2019 Luna Park, Sydney

Consulting Matters Features

Project 13 promotes the adoption of an ‘enterprise approach’, which can be defined as a long-term relationship between owners, investors, integrators, advisers and suppliers.

For the same reasons, it is often considered for ‘mega’ projects, where the pool of project participants with the financial strength and capabilities required to undertake the project can thin out to a level that constrains the project owner’s ability to extract value and transfer risks through conventional competitive tendering processes.

The most significant changes in approach are:

Collaborative contracting is more than just a response to an overheated construction market, or inadequate competition for major roles on mega projects. It is also a mechanism that can unlock significant productivity improvements that would enable the industry to deliver more infrastructure for less. In line with the trend for collaborative contracting to make a return when the market is becoming overheated there are some alliances running in NSW. There is also a willingness through the Construction Industry Leadership Forum, which is a forum supported by the Australian Constructors Association, Infrastructure NSW, and the Office of the Coordinator General in Victoria to explore commercial issues such as risk allocation. The UK Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG) have launched “Project 13” to improve the way high-performing infrastructure is delivered and managed, as a result of a boost in infrastructure spending. Robert Jenrick MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, speaking at the Project 13 launch said: "We are investing record amounts in infrastructure to help boost our national productivity and build an economy fit for the future.” The core message is that the transactional model for delivering major infrastructure projects and programmes is broken. It prevents efficient delivery, prohibits innovation and therefore fails to provide the high-performing infrastructure networks that businesses and the public require.

• The asset owner is central and leads the enterprise; • Suppliers have direct relationships with the owner; • An integrator actively engages and integrates all tiers of the supply chain; • The owner, key suppliers, advisors and integrator work as one team. The main difference between an enterprise and a traditional construction programme are: • Reward/profit in the enterprise is based on value added to the overall outcomes, not time spent. • There is greater understanding of cost drivers and risk across all organisations in the enterprise, with commercial incentives for collaboration to jointly mitigate risk, not transfer it. • Establishing a high performing enterprise requires a fundamental shift in leadership, governance, behaviours and skills to succeed. In other words, a more collaborative approach involving financial incentives aligned to overall outcomes, the sharing (not transfer) of risks, and a focus on joint decision making and problem solving rather than blame. This trend is also emerging in the US, where the American Institute of Architects has called it "Integrated Project Delivery". They describe it as an approach that integrates people, systems, business structures and practices into a process that collaboratively harnesses the talents and insights of all participants to optimize project results, increase value to the owner, reduce waste, and maximize efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction. Can Australian project owners overcome their misgivings and re-embrace alliancing

and other forms of collaborative contracting? There is certainly every reason to do just that if we are to deliver improved construction productivity and value for money outcomes from the infrastructure project tasks ahead of us, especially in the current resource constrained environment. Read more about collaborative contracting in Owen Hayford’s paper available here. Nicola Grayson, Consult Australia Owen Hayford PwC Legal

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Infrastructure governance: leadership is still key! The most recent OECD report on infrastructure governance lists and describes ten challenges that must be addressed in order to achieve successful outcomes, ranging from developing a strategic vision to managing risks and threats, regulatory regimes, value for money, lifetime asset performance, arrangements across governments, delivery of the assets, and data driven policy on infrastructure. These are all undeniably important aspects of what and how a nation or state can and must get firmly and reliably in place as the governance elements underpinning sound infrastructure design and delivery, yet this OECD report doesn’t refer at all to the single deepest level of integrative glue that holds the whole thing together and will be the ‘do or die’ factor on whether infrastructure outcomes come out right or badly: and that factor is leadership. We can put in all the systems and safeguards associated with good governance, including a variety of checks and balances and risk management policies, but like so many other things about life in organisations, especially involving complex project delivery, if the leadership is not strong, hands-on, dynamic and energetic, then good governance in a mechanistic sense will not save things from going down the gurgler. Even having a strategic vision, which is normally a senior leadership development task isn’t enough. The reason is that a vision statement, no matter how eloquent, focused and articulate won’t be worth much at all if it is not implemented hard and well, which requires consistent and determined leadership. So, while the OECD report begins with the headline statement “Infrastructure is mainly a governance challenge…” I refute such an assertion on the grounds that it assumes something that should never be taken for granted, namely of sound leadership necessary to make the governance elements stick, work and deliver. Learning from other industries and businesses both large and small, I have seen systems and companies with tightly specified governance processes and guidelines languish due to poor leadership. In other words, good governance does not and cannot make up for weak leadership quality. Yet the converse is at least partially true, that when governance systems and processes are immature, strong leadership can at least partly, and sometimes can significantly

overcome the weaknesses that would be inherent and would otherwise cause major problems. The good news is that as a country, set of states and consulting and built environment industries and organisations, we do not have to choose between good governance and effective leadership, but can and should aim for excellence in both. In Australia, as the OECD report suggests, our infrastructure governance is relatively strong, as evidenced for example by our relative high standing with respect to evidence-based decision making, relatively low levels of corruption (compared with many other places), and reasonably rational decision processes. On the leadership side, we are and will for a long time be constrained by the national and state government politicking, by partisan influences, by politically biased decisions, and even by personal preferences of people in high places of office. We could do better and here is a thought on how: we should give professional bodies such as Infrastructure Australia, various state bodies, and panels

of professionals more influence in choosing and prioritising infrastructure projects. These matters should be fully driven by experts. Our system is not broken, but it could be significantly improved. As to governance, while the OECD report nicely summarised some core ideas on how governance can be effective, wouldn’t it be nice to have a single standard and a unified national approach that drove efficiency and infrastructure effectiveness? There are two aspects we need to get right: choosing the right projects, then doing the chosen projects effectively. We need more independent experts and excellent leadership, and less vested and political interests in our resource allocation processes: that would support good governance. Danny Samson University of Melbourne Danny Samson is Professor of Management at the University of Melbourne: he is program director of Consult Australia’s Service Excellence and Innovation program, held in Melbourne in November: d.samson@unimelb.edu.au

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What are the best infrastructure investments to make? Is it based on economics, or resilience, or both? OUR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT DECISIONS MATTER ENORMOUSLY IF INFRASTRUCTURE IS TO BE LONG LIVED, SO HOW CAN WE SELECT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE OPTIMUM? HOW DO WE DETERMINE WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST INVESTMENTS TO MAKE? PROJECTS ARE GENERALLY SELECTED ON ECONOMIC GROUNDS, BUT THEY SHOULD ALSO BE MEETING ‘OTHER CRITERIA’ INCLUDING THE ABILITY OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO RESTORE, REGENERATE AND INCREASE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, NATURAL AND ECONOMIC CAPITAL. THIS ‘OTHER CRITERIA’ IS THE FOCUS OF WORK BEING UNDERTAKEN BY THE INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA (ISCA), WHO IN 2018 WILL LAUNCH VERSION TWO OF THE IS RATING SCHEME, WHICH PROVIDES A BASIS FOR PLANNING OF INFRASTRUCTURE—NOT ONLY HOW IT RATES FROM A SUSTAINABILITY POINT OF VIEW, BUT ALSO PROVIDES INPUT INTO HOW WE SHOULD BEST PLAN, DESIGN AND OPERATE THIS PIECE OF INFRASTRUCTURE.

It’s widely agreed that infrastructure (such as transport, water, energy, communications) underpins our ability to live in cities and our quality of life. There is a known and stated need for investment in infrastructure and as we sit in the Age of Anthropocene (a new geological age defined by the global scale of humanity’s impact on the Earth) – which places new requirements on our infrastructure—never has it been more pertinent that our infrastructure investment decisions matter enormously if infrastructure is to be long lived. An unfortunate reality across the globe is that infrastructure delivery often becomes a hostage to political agendas and therefore there are some questions that can and should be asked about whether the infrastructure we select is optimum. However, how do we know if an investment is optimum? How can we select infrastructure investments that are optimum? How do we determine what would be the best investments to make? There is some understanding in Australia that we should be basing investment decisions on economic grounds (that is, does project A deliver better benefit in terms of cost than project B), however this may not be the best way to choose between certain projects. There may be other goals or other criteria that we are seeking to achieve with our investment. It could be that a larger number of smaller projects would be preferable to one or two very expensive projects. Therefore, we should ask: what are the ‘other criteria’ that these projects should be meeting? More than half of the world’s people live in cities, and we have just one planet’s worth of material resources to share around. This necessitates that we must define a new set of expectations and performance criteria for infrastructure investment. Rather than settling for doing “less bad”, such as less environmental destruction or social disruption, we must aim from the outset to do more good. This net-positive approach requires us to restore, regenerate and increase social, cultural, natural and economic capital. A good example is Bishan Park on the Kallang River in Singapore. Formerly a channelled stormwater drain, this collaboration between the national parks and public utility agencies has recreated significant habitat while providing flood protection and an exceptional recreational space. All this has been achieved in an extremely dense city. Looking into the future, in transport, a netpositive motorway might prioritise active transport and make public transport central by design. It might send price signals based

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on the number of passengers, vehicle type (such as autonomous or electric) and vehicle ownership (shared, for instance). A core part of the switch to net-positive infrastructure is the realisation that resilience and robustness are different things. Historically, robustness has been central to infrastructure planning. However, robustness relies on assuming that the future is more or less predictable. In the Anthropocene, that assumption no longer holds. Building in resilience Infrastructure must be at its core flexible and adaptable. This could include, for example, phasing infrastructure investment and development over time. Current analysis is biased toward building big projects because we assume our projected demand is correct. Therefore, we expect to reduce the overall cost by building the big project now. However, in a more uncertain future, investing incrementally reduces risk and builds resilience, while spreading the cost and impact over time. This approach allows us to monitor and amend our planning as appropriate. It has been shown to save water utilities in Melbourne as much as A$2 billion. Aligning with the idea of flexibility, adaptability, net-positive—or infrastructure that restores, regenerates and increases social, cultural, natural and economic capita—is work being undertaken by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). 2018 will see the launch of Version 2 of ISCA’s IS Rating Scheme. This augmented rating scheme provides a basis for planning of infrastructure—the basis for determining

not only how it rates from a sustainability point of view, but also to provide input into how we should best plan, design and operate this piece of infrastructure…moving back up the planning and design decision tree. As part of ISv2.0 development, a planning rating is being investigated, which will focus on the decision-making processes applied by infrastructure proponents to reward projects that are the result of robust appraisals. Regulatory reform is another key part of what’s required to enable public and private investment in better outcomes. In the United States we are seeing strides in the right direction, with their government driven National Mitigation Investment Strategy. Major disasters and extreme weather events continue to test the nation’s ability to adapt and recover. Many organisations have accepted the challenge to make communities and critical infrastructure less susceptible to these hazards, however they all have differing approaches, funding sources, mandates, and requirements for investing in efforts to mitigate disaster risk. The National Mitigation Investment Strategy aims to to support the alignment of pre- and post-disaster mitigation investments. It could

This approach—a coordinated one—is vital in the selection of infrastructure investments that are optimum.

ultimately help the US federal government enhance national resilience for future disasters, by increasing the effectiveness of investments in reducing disaster losses and increasing resilience. It could also provide strategic planning considerations for the federal government, as well as state, local, tribal and territorial entities and the private sector in making resource allocation decisions. Understanding the nexus which exists between ‘sustainable infrastructure’ and ‘infrastructure sustainability’ could then be utilised as the framework to identify more of the ‘right’ projects in which to invest. Infrastructure sustainability frameworks enable more effective and efficient planning, design and delivery because so many of the key issues are inherently identified throughout the process. Systematic deployment of ISCA’s ‘infrastructure sustainability’ scheme in asset planning and—in parallel—across the management of current assets, can result in cities, policy makers, planners and operators quickly understanding what a smart, resilient and healthy city might look like. David Singleton ISCA * David Singleton is an expert in sustainability and is currently Chairman of Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia and Chairman of Swinburne University’s Smart Cities Research Institute Advisory Board. He undertakes a number of other roles in relation to cities and infrastructure, seeking outcomes for a better world. He is an alumni of Arup with 40plus years service). * This article is an updated version of an original article co-written by David Singleton and published on TheConversation.co

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‘iBodies’ – What do they bring to Infrastructure Governance? CONSULT AUSTRALIA HAS CALLED FOR GREATER SEPARATION BETWEEN POLITICS, PLANNING AND PROJECTS IN OUR MAJOR REPORT, ‘IBODIES: INFRASTRUCTURE GOVERNANCE IN AUSTRALIA’.

The benefits of iBodies across all jurisdictions will: •T ake the politics out of infrastructure development by establishing long-term strategic plans. •P rovide independent and expert advice about current and future infrastructure needs. •C reate a pipeline for the roll-out of infrastructure projects that will deliver jobs and growth. •M ake infrastructure decision-making transparent and evidence-based.

The Model Consult Australia proposes a model that should be common to all the IBodies. It should be used to establish IBodies in those jurisdictions that have yet to create one via an act of parliament, which will set out its functions and structure based on four core components; independence, planning, assessment, and prioritisation. The report by Consult Australia presents a model infrastructure body or 'iBody' for adoption by all jurisdictions following a comprehensive review of their existing governance procedures. Its four key recommendations include: independence locked in by statute; long-term planning; assessment in line with Infrastructure Australia guidelines; and a published pipeline of priority projects. Our nation’s ability to efficiently connect people to places and products to markets is critical for continued economic growth. Yet still politics can interfere with this process, placing stress on jobs and growth, and wasting taxpayer funding. IBodies can address this by presenting a model of uniformity across all jurisdictions. They will strengthen independence through reporting directly to Parliament, and build stronger collaboration across jurisdictions in conjunction with Infrastructure Australia. Our report examines current decision-making processes and plans in all jurisdictions, including the governance arrangements of

existing bodies, including: Infrastructure NSW, Infrastructure Victoria, and Building Queensland. It also considers international examples. The case for getting infrastructure governance right has been made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In September 2015 the OECD published, ‘Towards a Framework for the Governance of Infrastructure’, the report noted that political and business cycles strongly impact the phases of infrastructure, “It is difficult to reconcile the short term vs. long-term challenges at stake. Infrastructure involves long-term agenda and needs predictability but infrastructure is extremely sensitive to political and economic/business cycles. The local public investment cycle is for example highly correlated to the local election cycle usually, the level of public investment rises the year that precedes municipal elections, and then declines the first years that follow the election.”

Independence 1. T o be enacted as an independent statutory body. Its functions will be set out in legislation, and the Government (via the Premier/Minister) will not be allowed to direct or control its activities. 2. A ll strategies and plans prepared by the Ibody will be responded to by the Government within a specified period. The strategy, plans, and Government response must be presented to Parliament, thus promoting bipartisan support and accountability to Parliament. 3. I f the government wants to deliver an infrastructure project that is not included in the pipeline, or change the order of priority, it must seek parliamentary approval. 4. T he Board will be a balance of representatives from the public and private sectors. Private sector representatives must have appropriate skills relevant to infrastructure strategy/planning/delivery, including design and construction.

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Planning

Assessment

Prioritisation

1. iBodies are to be responsible for developing: a. Long-term infrastructure strategies, and b. Shorter-term plans to underpin and deliver against the aims of the strategy.

1. I bodies will provide project implementation plans for major infrastructure projects (the amount to be defined in the legislation).

1. i Bodies will assess and publish a pipeline of priority infrastructure projects.

2. The plans will have consistent assessment components (objectives) formed around productivity, liveability, and sustainability (including integrated land-use) that can be reported and measured against. 3. T he strategies and plans will be developed with a formal process of engagement across all stakeholders, political, public sector, business, interest groups, community groups etc. The other Ibodies should also be included to ensure that the strategy and plans have cross-jurisdictional alignment and interconnectedness.

2. Project evaluation and benefit realisation will be embedded within the decisionmaking processes, as a condition of funding and as a core component of project scoping. 3. I nfrastructure Australia and the other Ibodies, are to work together to develop national guidelines for business case development, consistent with Infrastructure Australia’s assessment guidelines.

2. T he methodology for the assessment of priority projects should be based on an agreed framework of assessment principles. 3. i Bodies will have responsibility for the review, evaluation, oversight, and monitoring of infrastructure delivery (but not project delivery). Nicola Grayson Consult Australia

All signs point towards better long term Infrastructure Planning in WA Whilst the WA Election does not seem all that long ago, the new State Government has been off to a flying start in the very important (and previously disappointing) area of coordinated long term infrastructure planning for the State. Encouragingly all signs point towards the new Government remaining true to its pre-election commitment of implementing ‘Infrastructure WA’, an infrastructure planning authority tasked to develop a 20 plus year infrastructure strategy, and shorter five year infrastructure plans, for the State. As a key and founding member of the Infrastructure Coalition, a collective of eight industry peak bodies within WA who have been seeking the establishment of an independent infrastructure planning authority in WA for some time, Consult Australia has been, and remains, a strong advocate and supporter of Infrastructure WA and welcomes this Government's initiative in this space. That said, as with most things, the devil is in the detail and ultimately the form that Infrastructure WA takes will be the first key major test as to whether the new government is focused on putting the State’s long term social and economic prosperity ahead of retaining a much-maligned political tradition of spending big on infrastructure more for short term political gain. As such, and like the ideal Infrastructure Victoria model, the importance of establishing such a body in a way which: prescribes a 50/50 mix of experts from both

government and industry; has it report and be responsible to the whole of Parliament (not just the Premier or a subcommittee of Cabinet); requires the appointment of an independent chair who has the power to cast a deciding vote if needed; and requires it to table its long term (20 year) strategy and shorter (5 year) infrastructure plans in parliament within a 30 day period unamended, all goes to the heart of whether such an authority will succeed or fail. Except for currently omitting the reporting requirement of any such body being to the whole of Parliament, and not just the Premier or a subcommittee of Cabinet, the State Government’s current proposal looks likely to include most, if not all, of the other aforementioned key ‘independence enablers’ and as such is shaping up to deliver a real giant

leap forward in the long-term infrastructure planning space within Western Australia. In the end establishing Infrastructure WA in its most independent form, such that it can provide the government of the day with the necessary frank and un-politicised expert infrastructure planning advice it requires, will not only help establish the new government’s credibility in the infrastructure space but it will also, and more importantly, help secure the State’s long term social and economic prosperity. To find out more you can download a copy of our recent iBodies report here, or email us at wa@consultaustralia.com.au for further information Steve Coghlan Consult Australia

Consulting Matters Business essentials

Super and the Gender Gap

A not so super fact: In 2015/16 the average super balance at retirement for men was $270,710* For women, this figure was $157,050*

Ask your partner or spouse to make a spouse contribution – They’ll receive a tax offset of up to $540 if your assessable income and total reportable fringe benefits for the financial year are less than $40,000.

RESEARCH* SHOWS THAT, ON AVERAGE, WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE LESS SUPER WHEN THEY RETIRE THAN MEN. There are several factors that contribute to this. Women are more likely to take more time out of paid work to have families, they’re more likely to work part-time and, generally, they’re paid less. Women also live longer than men^, which means it’s even more important that they have enough super to last their retirement. What can you do to reduce the gap? First and foremost, make sure your employer is paying your super. The amount your employer pays is usually at least 9.5% of your regular pay. You can also: •C ombine all your super together into one account – This will make it easier to manage and you’ll save on fees. •F ind your lost super - If you’ve been paid super into many different funds and your details have changed, your old super fund may have

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lost touch with you and transferred your super to the ATO. This money is called ‘lost super’, but it’s super you can still claim. • Top up your super by putting in extra yourself - You can do this by paying more from your before-tax salary (salary sacrificing) or from your after-tax salary. An after-tax super contribution may see you eligible for the Government’s contribution of up to $500. Remember, adding a small amount to your super now can make a big difference later on. • Ask your partner or spouse to make a spouse contribution - They’ll receive a tax offset of up to $540 if your assessable income and total reportable fringe benefits for the financial year are less than $40,000. There’s a lot you can do to boost your super and retirement income and improve the quality of your retirement. Meagan Ketkas Cbus If you need help, you can call CBUS Superannuation on 1300 361 784 or visit www.cbussuper.com.au.

References Australian Bureau of Statistics, Female life expectancy continues to climb Media Release, 18 October 2017, http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/latestPro ducts/3302.0.55.001Media%20Release12014-2016, viewed 15 March 2018. ^

C. Ross, Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, Research paper Superannuation account balances by age and gender, October 2017, http://www.superannuation.asn.au/policy/ reports, viewed 6 March 2018. *

This information is about Cbus. It doesn’t take into account your specific needs, so you should look at your own financial position, objectives and requirements before making any financial decisions. Read the relevant Cbus Product Disclosure Statement and related documents to decide whether Cbus is right for you. Contact 1300 361 784 or visit www.cbussuper.com.au for a copy. Cbus’ Trustee: United Super Pty Ltd ABN 46 006 261 623 AFSL 233792 Cbus ABN 75 493 363 262

BUILDING A SUPER FUTURE WITH CBUS Through Cbus Property*, we:

• Invest in property developments across Australia

• Create jobs in the building and construction industry

• Contribute to the Australian economy and deliver returns

cbussuper.com.au

1300 361 784

*Cbus Property Pty Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cbus and has responsibility for the strategic performance and management of Cbus’ direct property developments and investments. Read the relevant Cbus Product Disclosure Statement and other related documents to decide whether Cbus is right for you. Call 1300 361 784 or visit www.cbussuper.com.au for a copy. Cbus’ Trustee: United Super Pty Ltd ABN 46 006 261 623 AFSL 233792 Cbus ABN 75 493 363 262.

Consulting Matters Business essentials

See the wood, and the trees

New technologies such as 3D printing, virtual reality and BIM hog the limelight in the AEC sector, but back-of-house digital tools have the capacity to deliver significant improvements to business performance and outcomes. Recent Deltek research asserts that consulting firms need to embrace technology to minimise risk and remain relevant, but many are not sufficiently equipped to deal with market challenges such as increased financial pressures, procurement processes and legislative and compliance issues. Users of Deltek’s Project Information Management (PIM) tool—an intuitive system that integrates document and unstructured information management with project accounting functions—have discovered several unexpected benefits. Sharon Rowland, HR and Practice Manager at DesignInc in Melbourne, rolled out PIM in 2016 and has noticed a shift towards more strategic thinking as a result. “Because forecasting is something that we’ve started tracking and publishing, simply looking at those figures has improved our performance by making us more aware,” Rowland explains. “That’s had an impact on how we manage our finances, and a side effect has been a desire to get more accurate data in other areas of the business that are less clear, such as how many submissions are in the pipeline,” she says. “It’s helped us to look further out to the horizon.” Deltek’s Insight to Action report argues that professional services firms must grapple with greater competition and new technology in order to thrive, and Peddle Thorp in Brisbane provides a positive example of the benefits of early adoption. Mark Cronin, Senior Executive, Design Systems & Technology, oversaw the roll out of PIM across the firm’s three Queensland offices which yielded productivity benefits and a rich trove of data that can be analysed in different ways. “It’s improved our business performance as a whole as we capture a lot more information and start compiling a big picture,” Cronin says. “Now, four years since we introduced Deltek PIM, we have opportunities to analyse not only which project teams and leaders offer more profitability, but which project types, clients and regions are better for our business. “Deltek PIM gives us the ability to use data in a smarter way, and now it’s just a matter of time until there is an AI or data miner to slot over the system to harvest trends that we may not even have thought to look for,” he adds. “The fact that information is being captured in a standardised way means we are able to capitalise on it in unexpected ways.”

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…PIM is now viewed as an essential tool in an increasingly challenging operating environment, where fees have reduced over time leading to a smaller buffer on projects. One of the most highly lauded features of PIM is its ease of use, Cronin says, with different methods of inputting or extracting information depending on user proficiency and preference. Help is always available too, ranging from online videos to tutorials to a personalised help desk. For Sharon Rowland at DesignInc, one of the major benefits of switching to PIM is the ease of searching, a great example of a new technology making business easier rather than more complicated. “It’s a beautiful thing and you get used to it quickly,” she says. “For example, email management was a huge issue for us before. We had an add-on program that was average in its performance, so the biggest selling point with Deltek PIM was the ease of integrating email with our project documentation; it’s easy and comfortable, and totally searchable, and people like it.” She says that PIM is now viewed as an essential tool in an increasingly challenging operating environment, where fees have reduced over time leading to a smaller buffer on projects. “We have become better at planning, and, once we win a project, we look at our resourcing and think ahead beyond current projects, to build a culture of excellence,” Rowland explains. “It has also helped us to become more disciplined around each project, and to notice overruns more than we used to, and to see ‘scope creep’ generally,” she says. “Where a director used to manage all the project finances, now it’s shared with the project leaders and they can see and understand the implications of their decisions more easily using Deltek PIM.” The most valuable advantage of using PIM is the intangible effect it has on DesignInc’s workplace culture, Rowland asserts. “Before we start a new project, we get the basics and financials sorted so we can look up and out to determine what each project offers strategically, in terms of learning development, career prospects and new architectural perspectives,” she explains. “Essentially, we get the groundwork right from the start, so that our people can focus on the part of their jobs they love, the design and delivery, rather than the admin.” Deltek’s Insight to Action: The Future of the Professional Services Industry report is available free at www.deltek.com Rachel Bernstone, Sharon Rowland & Mark Cronin Deltek

Consulting Matters Business essentials

Making Strategy Happen in Infrastructure Governance Any successful infrastructure program implementation is reliant on strategy, however all too often this planning is superficial in its nature, concentrating on designs, fees, schedules and dayto-day deliverables rather than defining the exciting attainable objectives for the future. This usually results in trouble during implementation and operation later in the project cycle, creating cost and time blowouts. So, let’s look at what can be done to improve the chances of successful implementation and make strategy happen. In our experience, there are five critical elements that need to be in place: 1. Leadership needs to drive the process 2. There needs to be a level of excitement 3. T he strategy must be concise with definitive timeframes 4. The strategy needs to be adaptable 5. Execution must be considered at the start of the process.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF SUCCESS Leadership Leadership can’t delegate strategy development and execution, leaders need to step up. An infrastructure program will only drive change and deliver strategic objectives if the leaderships’ heart and soul are immersed in it. The leadership needs to oversee getting things done by running the three core processes: 1. Setting the strategic direction and priorities 2. Engaging the right people

execution do? How does he or she avoid being a micro-manager and getting caught up in the details of running the business? The core elements are: • Knowing and challenging people • Being realistic •K eeping to clear and actionable goals and priorities • Following up and creating energy • Rewarding those that contribute • Knowing themselves and setting the example.

3. Monitoring progress. Only a leader can ask the tough questions that everyone needs to answer and then manage the process of debating the information and making the right trade-offs. Only a leader who is intimately engaged in the business can know enough to have a comprehensive view. What exactly does a leader who oversees

Level of excitement There’s so much methodology and advice around strategy that sometimes an infrastructure program really needs something that will get leaders and their people excited to make things happen. To gain traction and to engage all the stakeholders, there needs to be a level of

MANAGEMENT FOR DESIGN

We've developed a unique approach to strategy development and execution that if implemented ensures results

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Business essentials Consulting Matters

anticipation in the objectives and plans. For example, it can’t all be about policies, or making more effective use of technology or just fixing up the communications collateral. These can be important initiatives, but if we want to engage people there needs to be an element of excitement.

assess progress. With the right people and methodology, it’s possible to develop a strategic plan, with a plan for execution, in one day.

Think about it, what could that be for infrastructure? Creating a landmark in the city, establishing greater well-being, supporting record growth, creating new industry sectors? Strategic objectives should stretch the limits of the program capabilities, making them exciting to achieve.

Unforeseen changes in conditions naturally occur, so leaders need to allow for flexibility in their plans.

Concise with definitive timeframes A strategy is not a business plan—they’re two different things. It doesn’t need to document the strengths and weaknesses, it doesn’t need to analyse the market, and it doesn’t need a comprehensive set of numbers. Don’t create something that will sit in the bottom drawer and requires endless revisions to make it live. Start with the big picture—what does the program need to look like to thrive in three years? Then action these into ambitious but realistic milestones of three and twelve months, assign responsibilities and tasks to individuals, and build in realistic timeframes, targets and measurement criteria to

Adaptability

Leaders need to take small steps, assign smaller goals, communicate their successes, analyse their weaknesses, adapt their approach, and seek out business partners that can assist. They need to get on with it and make things happen or otherwise I can guarantee that others will. Remember our industry is too competitive and too dynamic for leaders to sit back and wait!! And if they find themselves at the top, they shouldn’t rest—the best leaders find ways to do great things even better.

Consider execution at the start We’ve seen strategic plans not being implemented over and over. To avoid this, leaders need to have a plan and process in place for executing the strategy. They need to consider and involve the people that will contribute to making it happen at the

early planning stages. They need to take ownership and be part of the process from the start. How will they reward the people that are going to make it happen? I can guarantee that even if leaders aren’t thinking about this, the key people are. There needs to be a system. Consider how it will track progress, keep people up to date, and store key documents. Is the strategy going to be shared with everyone, or just the highlights? How much time will the leadership dedicate to follow up and follow through and where is this time going to come from? How often will they meet to review progress? What support will they need? What will prevent the day to day getting in the way? How much time and resources are they prepared to invest? These questions need to have answers at the start—don’t let strategy become planning! Management for Design has developed a unique approach to strategy development and execution that if implemented ensures results. At the core is a method and system to ensure successful execution that involves the key people in the business. To find out more, get in touch at info@m4d.com.au and find out how M4D can make strategy happen for you. Rob Peake Management for Design

Consulting Matters

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Photo courtesy of Seb Zurcher

Consulting Matters Corporate social responsibility

RedR Report: Ted McDonnell

When the devastating Tropical Cyclone Pam struck the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu in 2015, the United Nations estimated up to 90 per cent of buildings across the country were affected, with profound damage to public infrastructure including water supplies, government buildings, hospitals and schools. Three years on, recovery efforts continue, with Australian specialists playing an important role in supporting the Government of Vanuatu build back a stronger, more resilient country. Helping lead the recovery is Project Management Specialist and RedR Australia deployee, Ted McDonnell, who is currently working inside the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities of the Government of Vanuatu. Trained as a civil engineer and an expert in major project management, Ted is leading the Public Building Recovery Program, co-funded by the Australian Government and the Government of Vanuatu. The program focuses on implementing the repair, reconstruction and redevelopment of more than 65 public buildings including police housing, disability support services infrastructure, sports facilities, water supply, governance facilities, and a range of other damaged buildings. “When I arrived in Vanuatu in January 2016, the effects of TC Pam were still very visible on the streets of the capital Port Vila and on the island of Tanna in Tafea Province,” says Ted. “Many buildings were missing all, or part, of their roofs; there was damage to

The program focuses on implementing the repair, reconstruction and redevelopment of more than 65 public buildings including police housing, disability support services infrastructure, sports facilities, water supply, governance facilities, and a range of other damaged buildings.

building structure and internal damage due to water getting into the buildings.” Ted is working within the Public Works Department’s Project Management Unit (PMU) which consists of an Acting Principal Architect, Procurement Officer, Financial Officer and several contracted supervisors and consultants. Ted’s PMU is working with over ten ministries and departments to implement a range of infrastructure projects. Given the breadth of damage, the Public Building Recovery Project is working across sectors to ensure that public construction needs are met in the community. Describing the core objectives of the project, Ted says the main aim “is to repair, and/or reconstruct the facilities to the original state while ensuring that the facilities meet current building standards. We’re also seeking

opportunities wherever possible to ‘build back better’ and improve the facilities to meet current, or future requirements.” Where possible, Ted and his team have worked hard to include people with a disability in the construction process, and have liaised closely with disability advocacy groups to ensure new constructions are accessible to all. By also prioritising the hire of small-scale contractors to complete the range of construction tasks required rather than larger operators, Ted has enabled the generation of hundreds of employment opportunities for Ni-Vanuatu locals. “It’s always important to see recovery and reconstruction projects as an opportunity to deliver greater benefits to the host community than just the infrastructure outcomes,” says Ted. “Helping them

Corporate social responsibility Consulting Matters

to improve construction techniques and company management improves the contractors’ ability to stand on their own two feet, bid for new work, grow and be successful.” The generation of employment opportunities is having significant flow-on effects in economic activity for communities. In May this year, Ted and his team achieved a huge milestone for the project when they handed 17 public buildings back to the Government of Vanuatu in Tafea. The project successfully reconstructed police housing, stations and accommodation buildings, as well as the chief’s house on the island of Tanna, which were heavily damaged during Cyclone Pam. The ceremony was bright and joyful, and attended by both the President and Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, Members of Parliament, the Australian High Commissioner Jenny da Rin and all the chiefs of Tanna. “The handover of the buildings really enables community structure to be supported and enhanced. For example, the chief’s Nikoleten

house enables local governance to be carried out in a building that has a roof, that has been repaired and refurbished,” Ted said of the event. Ted knows the team’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. “I overheard one of the police officers state that the police houses in Tanna are now the best facilities in the country. He was speaking with pride – that’s an outcome worth celebrating!” Based in Port Vila for over two years – and currently supported under the new Australia Assists program – Ted has seen huge gains in the recovery of Vanuatu and remains optimistic about the future resilience of the community against natural disasters. As the most disaster-prone country in the world, Vanuatu’s resilience can be a challenge to maintain, says Ted, but with long-term planning he believes projects like the Public Building Recovery Project will make a tangible difference. “Hopefully Vanuatu will get to a point where local capacity has increased and the country will be able to manage the annual cycle of

natural disasters,” says Ted. “Until then there is a place for organisations like RedR Australia to assist in risk reduction, response and recovery activities. It’s challenging work, but I’m glad I’m here.” Laura McCormack RedR

Consulting Matters Project case study

Surface Water Management Surface water management begins with an assessment of the hydrological demands of the project. The rainfall and topography of the landscape then determines the surface water solution. As the available land in cities becomes increasingly developed, large surface areas are being covered with impermeable pavements, this leads to an increase in volume of water runoff on the stormwater system and to receiving waterways which ultimately impacts the environment. Government departments regulate stormwater quality and detention, policies and guidelines are put into place supporting innovative solutions to conserve, retain and reuse our most valuable water resource. Sustainable surface water management is an integral part of the planning process. Urban designers need to consider managing the quantity as well as the quality of water that is discharged after it has been captured and stored. Plastic geocellular systems have been used for a number of years and are a widely accepted method of creating infiltration and detention systems. When properly integrated, they can enable stormwater discharge at a slower more natural rate. This protects the stormwater system, prevents erosion and increased flow to receiving waters. Pollutants, debris and sediment can be removed from the water so it can be harvested for reuse in parklands, sports fields, commercial agriculture and residential gardens. ACO StormBrixx速 is a unique patented plastic geocellular stormwater management system designed for surface water retention, detention and infiltration. It is a versatile system suitable for applications across all construction environments. It can be installed as a standalone solution or as part of an integrated Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD). A drawback of many geocellular systems is the lack of accessibility for maintenance. ACO StormBrixx速 was developed to address accessibility issues and to enable easy maintenance. The system provides 3-dimensional access for inspection and maintenance while retaining the structural integrity of the system. ACO StormBrixx速 HD is designed for heavyduty applications and ACO StormBrixx速 SD is designed for medium duty applications.

Sustainable surface water management is an integral part of the planning process. Urban designers need to consider managing the quantity as well as the quality of water that is discharged after it has been captured and stored.

Corporate social responsibility Consulting Matters

Retention | Detention | Infiltration

ACO StormBrixx ® ACO StormBrixx ® is a unique and versatile stormwater management system designed for surface water retention, detention and infiltration. ACO StormBrixx® is suitable for Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) projects or as a stand-alone solution. ACO StormBrixx® is the world’s leading stormwater management system for stability and strength; inspection and maintenance; logistics and handling.

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Consulting Matters Project case study

ACO StormBrixx® is the world’s leading stormwater management system for the following reasons: 1. Structural Integrity The StormBrixx® system has been independently tested for structural integrity and durability. The patented brick bonding and cross bonding feature provides a strong yet lightweight construction system that enables quick and easy installation of the tank. 2. A ccess, maintenance and low construction depth StormBrixx® has an open cell structure that enables access for CCTV and jetting equipment. The whole system including the extremities can be inspected and maintained from a few access points. The unique pillar configuration gives a high void ratio of 95%-97%, a choice of access chambers is available for the system. The high void ratio has the added benefit of minimising the amount of excavation required to obtain a nominated design storage volume. The aggregate needed for backfilling is then also reduced. 3. Simplified handling and logistics The StormBrixx® stackable design simplifies delivery, site logistics and the installation of the tank, which reduces the carbon footprint of the system. The system can be assembled in a variety of ways to form an open bonded structure. View the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfmAN5ZxdlY St Maria Goretti Primary School in Western Australia used ACO StormBrixx® in their recent building upgrade. The designers required a high capacity and durable stormwater management system to resolve a drainage problem in an area on the school grounds. The drainage system was required to collect the excess water, filter it and gradually release the water back into the water table. The University of Canberra Public Hospital also recently used ACO StormBrixx® to solve the runoff from the carpark pavements. Two different tank systems were installed. One was an infiltration system and the other a detention system to spread the peak flow of water during a storm event over a longer period of time and eliminate a surge effect downstream. ACO can provide the expertise to assess the requirements of any project and offer product solutions to manage the surface water across the site to address all phases of drainage from stormwater ‘capture’ to stormwater ‘release’. Project specific structural calculations, installation drawings and a bill of quantities are also supplied accompanied by high quality technical documentation. This service is offered free of charge and obligation. ACO StormBrixx®, when used with other ACO drainage products, provides the complete drainage solution that can collect, clean, hold and sustainably release stormwater. For further information on ACO StormBrixx® and ACO’s complimentary products, visit www.stormbrixx.com.au or call 1300 765 226. John Sordo ACO

Consulting Matters

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