This edition of Austroads News has a procurement focus with the release of new Austroads and APCC guidelines for building and construction procurement, updated versions of the Guide to Project Delivery and a research report on ITS procurement. 

Austroads and the Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) have released a new Guide to provide a consistent procurement and contracting approach for road, bridge and non-residential building projects across Australian government.

The Guide specifically respond to a range of issues raised by industry. It outlines a process for developing procurement strategies and establish a series of common tendering and contracting principles which have been agreed to by all Australian states and territories.

Rod Hook, APCC Council Chair, said the Guide was developed in consultation with industry, along with the road transport agencies and financial management agencies of each of the states and territories.

“The inclusive approach we used to develop the Guide has resulted in a highly practical document that has been well-received by government and industry,” Mr Hook said.

The Guide harmonises terminology, methods and processes currently in use to create a consistent overarching framework for procurement and contracting, incorporating a rang of delivery model options for individual projects and a baseline process for developing procurement strategies. It also provides information about recent developments in the use of interactive and collaborative procurement processes and project techniques such as building information modelling.

Andrew Milazzo, Austroads Chair, said that while Austroads and APCC members work in different parts of the construction sphere, the organisations faced similar issues and challenges.

“This initiative is a prime example of what can be achieved by collaborating on matters of mutual interest. In practical terms, use of the Guide will make a real difference to how we procure and deliver projects in the future,” Mr Milazzo said.

On Tuesday 25 February ARRB will host an online webinar providing an overview of the Guide and its development. 

Austroads has also published a technical report that provides an overview of the Guide's development.

Download Building and Construction Procurement Guide - Principles and Options

Austroads' Guide to Project Delivery have been updated in line with the new Procurement Guidelines. The Guide has four parts:

Part 1: Overview explains the context of project delivery in relation to the asset management functions and strategic planning process and its role and importance within the overall project management framework.  It also covers a range of elements fundamental to successful project delivery including the project brief, project delivery plan, procurement strategy and project governance.

Part 2: Planning and Control provides guidance to project delivery practitioners on a number of concepts relating to planning and control of the delivery phase, as opposed to the preceding initiation phase and subsequent operational phase of a project. It covers a range of topics at a ‘principles and considerations’ level, leaving the details to be sourced from the preferred practice of the jurisdiction for which the project is intended. Key among these topics are risk, procurement strategy, change control, performance monitoring and community engagement.  The appendices give valuable information and examples to assist practitioners in achieving quality outcomes on the projects they deliver.

Part 3: Contract Management is concerned with the procurement and management of construction contracts. It covers, in detail, key processes and procedures relating to prequalification, tendering, contract award and contract administration. It also includes a range of sample tools, templates, registers and checklists designed to provide practical support to practitioners working in this field.

Part 4: Direct Management of Project Works outlines appropriate standards of practice, and procedures for the delivery of works by direct management.  It assumes that the agency has committed to undertake works using a direct managed delivery model, and has access to a direct managed workforce with appropriate capability and support.

The Guides can be purchased as individual parts or in a set. Staff from Australian and New Zealand transport agencies and local councils can download the Guides as PDFs for no charge. Contact Austroads for log-in details. 

In January Austroads released a report documenting international ITS procurement practices.

The report includes a review of the ITS procurement strategies and relevant guidelines from the US, UK, Netherlands, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

It includes 14 case studies covering a broad range of scale, budget, risk and complexity levels of ITS projects. 

The report recommends that a toolkit be developed to improve the ITS procurement practices in Australia and New Zealand. The proposed toolkit covers ITS master planning, a decision model for procurement model selection, proposed selection criteria and performance measures.

Download Procurement of ITS (International Practice)

The World Road Association is an international road organisation with 118 member governments and some 2,500 road experts. Both Australia and New Zealand are full country members.

The Association is primarily interested in issues of road infrastructure planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation.

The work of the Association is undertaken by 17 committees which bring together technical experts from around the world.

Austroads currently has full or corresponding representatives on 15 of the 17 committees. The representatives provide regular progress reports on the work being conducted by their technical committee.

The technical committee representatives are either members of or have a close working relationship with an Austroads task force or working group. Recent reports from representatives include:

• Climate Change and Sustainability
  by Paul Davies, Climate Change Authority
• Risk Management
  by Andrew Excell, DPTI SA
• Road Network Operations
  by Jeremy Millar, Main Roads WA
• Improved Mobility in Urban Areas
  by Robert Freemantle, VicRoads
• Freight Transport
  by Rick Barber, New Zealand Transport Agency with meeting chaired by Don Hogben, DPTI SA 

The National Transport Commission (NTC) is seeking feedback on a proposed national accreditation scheme for pilot and escort drivers accompanying the transport of large and heavy loads across state borders.

In 2013 Austroads released a report proposing a national accreditation scheme and operational guidelines for pilot and escort drivers. 

That report forms the basis on which the NTC’s discussion paper,  Harmonisation of Pilot and Escort Vehicle Driver Requirements – National Accreditation Scheme, was prepared.

The NTC is particularly keen to receive feedback from industry, including pilot and escort drivers, on the proposed scheme and how it should be structured.

Following the consultation period, NTC will make recommendations for the harmonisation of accreditation requirements and standards to the Transport and Infrastructure Senior Officials Committee, while Austroads will develop an Operational Guideline that provides a finalised, consistent approach to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to implement and manage.

Submissions are open until 21 February 2014. 

NEW 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets (ICMPA9)
Abstracts due 15 March 2015. The conference will be held in Washington DC 18-21 May 2015.  Themes for abstracts are: innovations; sustainability; performance management; accountability; and case studies.

NEW An Introduction to the Austroads & APCC Building and Construction Procurement Guide
25 February 2014, Online webinar [No charge]

Austroads Guide to Road Tunnels - An Overview
27 February 2014, Online webinar [No charge]

NEW An Introduction to the Australian National Risk Assessment Model (ANRAM)
4 March 2014, Online webinar [No charge]

Austroads Polymer Modified Binder (PMB) Spray Seal Trials
13 March 2014, Online webinar [No charge]

Velo City Global Cycling Conference
27-29 May 2014, Adelaide, Australia

IPWEA Sustainability in Public Works
27-29 July 2014, Tweed Heads/Coolangatta, Australia

AITPM National Traffic and Transport Conference
12-15 August 2014, Adelaide Australia

26th ARRB Conference
19-22 October 2014, Sydney Australia

Austroads Bridge Conference
22-24 October 2014, Sydney, Australia