Parramatta Light Rail (PLR) is one of the NSW Government’s major infrastructure projects being delivered to serve a growing Sydney. PLR will create new communities, connect great places and help both locals and visitors move around and explore what the Western Sydney region has to offer.
Stage 1 will connect Westmead to Carlingford via Parramatta CBD and Camellia with a two-way track spanning 12 kilometres, and is expected to open in 2023. The route will link Parramatta’s CBD and train station to the Westmead Precinct, Parramatta North Growth Centre, the new Bankwest Stadium, the Camellia Town Centre, the new Powerhouse Museum and Riverside Theatres cultural precinct, the private and social housing redevelopment at Telopea, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse and three Western Sydney University campuses.
TfNSW received approval from the NSW Government in May 2017 to procure contractors for PLR Stage 1 through an innovative multi-contract procurement model which includes the following contracts:
TfNSW brought a team of ConnellGriffin Advisors on board to develop and implement a collaborative and innovative transaction strategy—driven by the desire to have an operator-led solution for the project—to procure suitable and appropriately qualified contractors for PLR Stage 1. ConnellGriffin also provided strategic support through a high performing and highly skilled team, placing the achievement of the best outcome for TfNSW at the centre of the transaction strategy.
ConnellGriffin worked with TfNSW to develop and implement a collaborative and innovative transaction strategy - driven by the desire to have an operator led solution for the project - to procure suitable and appropriately qualified contractors for PLR Stage 1. ConnellGriffin provided strategic support through a high performance and highly skilled team, placing the achievement of the best outcome for TfNSW at the centre of the transaction strategy.
The services provided included:
The accelerated program to procure each contract presented challenging timeframes to ensure the light rail will be operational in 2023 as committed to by the NSW Government.
The three phase procurement model ensured both successful tenderers for the Infrastructure and SOM packages had well developed designs and delivery methodologies and the interfaces between the two packages were well understood, defined and aligned.
The ConnellGriffin transaction management team was credited as being a key enabler for TfNSW to meet the tight deadlines for the procurement of the Infrastructure Contract. In addition, PLR Stage 1 was one of the first major infrastructure projects in NSW to respond to the “NSW Government Action Plan: A ten point commitment to the construction sector”, which was introduced during the Tender period. This led to identifying and implementing innovative aspects of the transaction to respond to the Action Plan including the desire to reduce tendering costs and to ensure highly interactive and collaborative practices were embedded in project.
The collaborative and interactive tendering process ensured both TfNSW and the tenderers were fully informed about each other’s drivers and objectives leading to high quality submissions and the eventual award of the contracts, on time and on budget. The process also led to the development of strong relationships between TfNSW and the tenderers.
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