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Sydney Growth Trains, NSW

Sydney Growth Trains, NSW
Client:
Transport for NSW (TfNSW)
Project Value:
$1.7 billion
Years of Service:
2016 - 2017
Services Provided:
  • Procurement Management 
  • Procurement Plans

TfNSW required changes to the timetable for rail passenger services in NSW during, or before, 2018. In order to optimise the intended timetable changes, TfNSW procured new passenger trains and other related assets as part of the Sydney Growth Trains Project.

CLIENT'S OBJECTIVES AND PROJECT OVERVIEW:

TfNSW’s appointed supplier was required to:

  • supply and deliver 24 eight-car Waratah Series 2 modern suburban trains
  • equip, maintain and operate a Maintenance Facility for the maintenance of the trains, and
  • undertake maintenance and provide through life support to the trains and other related assets for a 25 year contract term.

All of the 24 Waratah Series 2 trains were in service by September 2019 and led to a more reliable and comfortable service for commuters.

Sydney Growth Trains is the centerpiece of the “More Trains, More Services” program and will provide rail customers with more frequent and more express services, delivered by modern trains and enabled through infrastructure upgrades.

Key features of the new Sydney Growth Trains include:

  • improved air-conditioning with advanced temperature control
  • high definition customer information screens to provide journey and safety information, and
  • internal and external CCTV and customer help points.

OUR ROLE:

ConnellGriffin, as the Procurement Manager, was responsible for managing the process for procurement and through life support of a fleet of 24 modern suburban trains under a rapid procurement process.

Specific services provided by ConnellGriffin included:

  • preparing the Request for Information (RFI) documentation (equivalent to market sounding) and associated response evaluation templates
  • developing the governance strategy and procurement strategy for the procurement process
  • developing the commercial framework and risk allocation documents
  • preparing the Request for Proposal (RFP) documentation (including draft contract documentation)
  • supporting TfNSW’s technical advisors in the development of the scope and performance requirements documentation attached to the RFP
  • managing the development of the proforma for the base case cost model to be submitted with the proponents’ financial proposals
  • representing the project team during two separate Infrastructure for NSW gateway reviews
  • managing correspondence between the proponents and TfNSW during the proposal development phase (including reviewing proposed responses from the project team to the proponents’ queries)
  • representing TfNSW during a series of interactive tender workshops with the proponents
  • providing a high level of support during the evaluation of tenders, including non-price and
    price evaluation workstreams (our Advisors led the financial and commercial special advisor team and the maintenance facility works special advisor team making recommendations to the proposal assessment committee)
  • coordinating with and providing inputs to the business case for the procurement of the new trains
  • managing of all aspects of TfNSW’s external financial advisor’s review of the proponent’s financial models
  • managing correspondence between the TfNSW and the proponents during the proposal evaluation phase (including reviewing proposed clarification questions from the project team to the proponents)
  • representing TfNSW during final negotiations with the successful proponent and providing a high level of commercial support, and
  • managing the development of final contract documentation that captured the agreed technical and commercial positions.

KEY OUTCOMES:

Throughout the rapid procurement process, our Advisors provided strategic advice to the direction of inputs from external technical, commercial, legal and probity advisors and led the integration of these inputs into a consistent set of contract documents that met internal project and commercial stakeholder requirements.

Our Advisors were integral members of the project team, which successfully completed the procurement process within very tight timeframes. This was achieved by the project team employing a dynamic and responsive approach and an intensely interactive process with the proponents. Any delays in the procurement process would have undermined the business case and put the procurement at risk. Despite many challenges along the way, the team successfully completed the procurement on time.

CG Team Members Involved:

Brian Connell Brian Connell Managing Director Richard Butlin Richard Butlin Director

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