IPWEA Vic Blog

Take a look at the Infrastructure Australia document on “Efficiencies in Major Project Procurement” looking at Benchmarks for Efficient Procurement of Major Infrastructure.

Download document here

Bookmark to:

Please find below the link to the final report from the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PEAC) Inquiry into Effective Decision Making for the Successful Delivery of Significant Infrastructure Projects.
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/paec/reports/PAEC_InfrastructureInquiry_FINAL-Report.pdf

The key recommendations from the report are as follows:

RECOMMENDATION 1
The Government establish a new advisory body, the Victorian Infrastructure Council, with the roles and responsibilities set out in Section 2.2.1 of this Report. page 11

RECOMMENDATION 2
The Government establish a new body, the Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority, with the roles and responsibilities set out in Section 2.2.2 of this Report. page 12

RECOMMENDATION 3
The Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority work towards improving the level of detail about the required competencies and skills to deliver infrastructure projects in Victorian guidance materials. The Authority should take the Australian Qualifications Framework as a model for the appropriate level of detail. page 13

RECOMMENDATION 4
The Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority work towards more wide-spread use of project management frameworks by constructing agencies. To facilitate this, the Authority should identify and disseminate existing frameworks that are best suited to being models for other entities. page 13

RECOMMENDATION 5
The Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority review the centrally facilitated training to identify areas where it might be usefully expanded. As part of this process, the Authority should conduct a formal survey of constructing departments and agencies. The Authority should also consider the merits of partnering with tertiary institutes to develop project leadership and project management courses that could be available to all departments and agencies. page 14

RECOMMENDATION 6
The Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority be established with a board of non-executive directors with proven, relevant expertise. page 14

RECOMMENDATION 7
A Parliamentary Committee be given responsibility for oversight of the Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority. page 15

RECOMMENDATION 8
The Department of Treasury and Finance’s role overseeing expenditure (including the High-Value and High-Risk Framework) be supplemented by the Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority having responsibility for ensuring that departments and agencies are following best practice when they deliver infrastructure projects and that projects are being delivered efficiently and effectively. page 16

RECOMMENDATION 9
The Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority develop performance measures that detail its effectiveness and the value it adds. These measures should be reported on annually. page 16

RECOMMENDATION 10
The Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority progressively publish non-commercial information about all major projects (except where there are commercial sensitivities or risk to the project). page 16

RECOMMENDATION 11
Major Projects Victoria’s functions are to be incorporated into the new Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority.

RECOMMENDATION 12
Specific criteria for inclusion on Victorian Government Purchasing Board provider panels should be made publicly available.

RECOMMENDATION 13
The proposed Victorian Infrastructure and Skills Authority, develop a central framework that provides detailed definitions of competencies required for effective infrastructure provision and management.

RECOMMENDATION 14
The State Services Authority examine VicRoads’ TeCaP system to assess whether it should be recommended for use more widely in the public sector for workforce planning. {TeCaP is a VicRoads system}

RECOMMENDATION 15
The State Services Authority examine VicRoads’ TeCaP system to assess whether it should be recommended for use more widely in the public sector for workforce planning.

RECOMMENDATION 16
Central agencies that receive copies of key documents (such as business cases and post‑project reports) provide feedback to the departments and agencies that submit them about any aspects of these documents that are below standard.

RECOMMENDATION 17
The requirements for business cases be modified so that all future business cases have regard to similar projects in other jurisdictions. A formal technique such as ‘reference class forecasting’ should be adopted for making appropriate comparisons.

RECOMMENDATION 18
The Government undertake work to identify areas where cost benefits could be achieved by increasing skills within the public sector (either through training existing staff or hiring new staff) and reducing the use of contractors and consultants. Areas for consideration should include project management and ICT.

Bookmark to:

The VAGO is currently undertaking a report to examine the progress of agencies (DOT, VicRoads, DPCD, PTV)  in addressing key options identified by VCEC in the 2006 congestion management inquiry, and in improving the agencies management of traffic congestion

The 2006 report estimated that the economic costs of congestion in Melbourne ranged from $1.3 billion to $2.6 billion per year, and that this was likely to double by 2020. It also found that key causes of road congestion related to both supply and demand-side factors.

The report is expected to be tabled by end of April 2013.

Bookmark to:

Here is a 4 minutes video about cycle paths in the Netherlands http://youtu.be/xSGx3HSjKDo

Bookmark to: