Leading edge infrastructure management will be explored by delegates at the 2012 IPWEA Public Works Conference to be held on 28 and 29 March 2012 at the Hotel Windsor.

Some of the topics include:

• Future directions in infrastructure management
• Project delivery and management
• Asset management emerging issues
• The business of leading edge infrastructure management
• Innovative infrastructure projects
• Management masterclass
• Disaster management
• Keeping stakeholders infomred
• Leading edge delivery in regional victoria
• Working with consultants
• Asset management – innovation and sustainability
• Building better communities

Delegates have the option of joining a site tour of the Windsor Hotel at the conclusion of the first days proceedings.

A Gala Dinner will be held on Wednesday 28 March incorporating the 2012 IPWEAvic Awards for Excellence.  Tickets to the Gala Dinner only are available http://www.ipwea.com/conference

To REGISTER for the confernece visit http://www.ipwea.com/conference

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The IPWEAvic Awards for Excellence Judging Panel have released the top 20 entries in the 2012 Awards for Excellence.  From these top 20 entries winners will be announced in the categories of Capital Project Award (Under $3M), Capital Project Award (Over $3M), Asset Management Award and Innovation/Service Delivery Award.  The Top 20 Entries in alphabetical order are:

•  ARRB – Local Road Deterioration Models
• Boroondara City Council- Boroondara Netball Pavilion
• Boroondara City Council – Gardiners Creek Trail
• Boroondara City Council – Kew Recreation Centre
• Boroondara City Council – Markham Reserve Playground
• Brimbank City Council – North Sunshine Industrial Area Special Charge Scheme
• Cardinia Shire – Pakenham Library
• Darebin City Council – Lancaster Gate Community Centre Redevelopment
• Glen Eira City Council – Integration of asset management system with customer service and maintenance systems
• Glen Eira City Council – Truck Wash & Wet Waste Handling Facility
• Greater City of Shepparton –Victoria Park Lake Redevelopment, Shepparton
• Greater City of Shepparton IDM Group – Infrastructure Design Manual
• Hume City Council – City Entrance
• Kingston City Council – Mordialloc Instructural Precinct, Managing Stormwater as an Asset
• Knox City Council – Wicks Reserve Bio-infiltration System, The Basin
• Mildura Rural City Council – The Langtree Mall
• Moorabool Shire Council – Bacchus Marsh Civil & Community Hub Redevelopment
• Pyrenees Shire – Waubra Community Hub
• Wellington Shire Council – The Gippsland Regional Sports Complex, Sale
• Whitehorse City Council – Refurbishment of Nunawading Library
• Wyndham City Council – Saltwater Reserve Synthetic Oval

Its not too late to grab a ticket for the Gala Dinner to be held on 28th March 2012 at the Windsor Hotel Grand Ballroom.  Download a registration brochure HERE or go to the website at http://www.ipwea.com/confernece to register for the dinner.

All winners will be profiled on out dedicated awards website http://www.ipwea.com/awards2012

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THE MEFvic Board of Trustees have announced the MEFvic Scholarship recipients for 2012.  Two tours will be held in 2012, one to Europe in June to join in the IFME conference in Helsinki and the other in August to USA to join in the APWA conference.

Six participants have been selected to participate in the following tours –

The first tour is to Europe on an itinerary of up to two weeks planned by the recipients and is to include the International Federation of Municipal Engineering World Congress in Helsinki, Finland from 4th to 10th June 2012.

Scholarship recipients are –

Cohen Van der Velde, Infrastructure Projects Manager, Bass Coast Shire Council

Oliver Vido, Manager Infrastructure Services, Greater Dandenong City Council

Simon Thomas, General Manager City Works, Stonnington City Council

The second tour is to the United States of America and Canada on an itinerary of up to three weeks planned by recipients and is to include the American Public Works Association Congress in Anaheim, California, from 26th to 29th August 2012.

Scholarship recipients are –

Glenn Deaker, Manager Operations, Central Goldfields Shire Council

Vito Albicini, Director Infrastructure Services, Yarra City Council

David Elson, Manager Asset Planning, Boroondara City Council

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The Central Highlands Regional Group will meet in conjunction with MWOA on 15th March 2012.  A terrific program has been established with a report rom a Daker Rally particpant.  Take a look at the agenda here

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Summary Report from Maurice Stabb attending on behalf of IPWEA

IPWEA attended the Roads Australia Forum recently and a summary of the material presented and discussion at the workshop is as follows.

The workshop focused on the different types of construction delivery models (primarily relating to horizontal construction), their strengths and weaknesses, opportunities to improve them and an overview of the concept of ‘managing contract’ as a delivery model and its applications.

George Mavroyeni (VicRoads)

• Use of D&C contracts has been common due to time saving and earlier start of construction
• D&C contracts have fundamental issues around risk sharing and developing a shared understanding/communication of the project scope
• A new alliance model was discussed
• The challenges of D&C are:

1. Shared understanding of project scope
2. Appropriate risk sharing
3. Clarity of tender process and timeframes
4. Achievement of desired project outcomes
5. Reduced cost of tendering
6. A ‘pipeline’ of works
7. More interaction between principal and contractors
8. Shorter ‘shortlists’ -> cost of tendering

• D&C improvement opportunities:

1. More interaction between the parties during selection and then delivery
2. Clearer project objectives and outcomes
3. Better understanding of principal interests and expectations

• An end to end process from EoI to contract award was outlined
• Inclusion of ‘non-price’ attributes (eg sustainable materials and technologies) in tenders was discussed and how they could be evaluated
• Development of a contractor performance scheme to allow performance assessment on Alliances and D&Cs for use in short listing for future projects was discussed
• Query on where whole of life costing and maintainability of new assets is considered
• Project objectives should include consideration of any future stages and how they have been ‘built-in’

Marko Misko (Clayton UTS) and Ewen Nevett (VicRoads)

• Concept of Managing Contractor (MC)(as distinct from contractor management) tabled -> concept underpinned by collaboration
• Model is often commenced with limited defined project scope at the outset  ->concept aims to maximise over the life of the project
• Fundamentally a D&C but without fixed cost and time
• MC responsible for all reimbursable works via sub-contractors approved by the Principal
• Indicative costs submitted at tendering time are adjusted at the end of the project planning phase once the scope is finalised
• This can be structured as a two phase contract -> planning phase and delivery phase
• Movement to phase two is based on set criteria for phase one
• New models for Alliances and D&C need to include ‘maintainers’ in ALL projects at the front end

Bob Vickers (Abigroup)

• Discussed model of collaborative contracts -> one in which the parties co-operate to achieve desired outcome
• Many forms of collaborative contracts including:

1. Alliances -> non-adversarial relationships, focused on project outcomes -> virtual enterprise
2. Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) -> negotiated D&C with incentives (commonly used in SA/Qld)
3. Early Tenderer Involvement (ETI) -> negotiated construct only contract with incentives (involves constructability input to design)
4. Hybrids (incl. MC) -> lump sum or % of construction cost

• Hybrids likely to be the future
• Reference point is the Alliancing Association of Australasia web site -> alliancingassociation.org
• A comparative table of the different forms of contract with their strengths and weaknesses, etc was presented

Should any Board Members or IPWEA member have any queries please do not hesitate to call or email IPWEAvic office. vic@ipwea.org.au or 03 90050860

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Take a look at this video from the Dutch Cycling Embassy at http://dutchcycling.nl/  It gives an overview of cycling in Holland.  The Dutch Cycling Embassy provides consultancy services in cycling to toher countries.

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Department of Infrastructure and Transport has released a research document outlining a methodology for calculation of road vehicle-kilometers travelled estimation from state and territory fuel sales.  It can be accessed via this url http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2011/report_124.aspx

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