Remote Australia: Housing and Facilities Management
A joint government establishment in remote Australia was initially built in the late 1960’s with a limited intended operational lifespan. The establishment has continued to be operated beyond the initial lifespan and significant maintenance and upgrade projects were required to address the aging facilities and infrastructure. A dramatic increase in the operating profile for the establishment and concurrent supply chain interruptions was causing difficulties in facilities management and maintenance performance.
Located in a remote location, local housing is required for the resident workforce and specialist support is required from interstate and international providers to augment the limited local industry capability.
A diverse range of projects was necessary to recover the material condition of critical assets, improve the living conditions for the workforce and address contemporary environmental standards and obligations. Doug was engaged by the operations and maintenance prime contractor to oversee the maintenance and project activities.
Working closely with the asset owners, Doug initially established a standardised approach and delivery methodology for the maintenance and refurbishment of the c1000 homes.
As the program was implemented, Doug engaged with the local trade services providers to find more efficient and economical ways to raise and maintain the living standard of the resident workforce.
Noting the limited capability and capacity of local businesses, Doug carefully managed the associated procurement and contracting arrangements to ensure the ongoing reliability and responsiveness of the local industry.
To deliver larger projects for complex assets and infrastructure, Doug used international design partners and larger contractors from interstate when the services could not be provided locally. This required detailed planning and coordination to address the distances, climate, security requirements and logistics arrangements that were unfamiliar to these contractors. Detailed planning was required to ensure that all project activities were conducted without impact to the operational activities occurring at the establishment.
Through Doug’s considered procurement practices, engagement with industry and detailed project planning, a wide range of projects were completed to extend the operational life of the facility and improve the standard of living for the resident workforces. All of this was achieved without impacting the establishment’s extremely high operational tempo. Example projects delivered include: construction of the secure warehousing facility, upgrade to critical communications infrastructure climate control equipment, stormwater management infrastructure, waste water treatment system design, emergency fire fighting infrastructure upgrade, specialist physical security upgrades, power generation equipment upgrades, essential services and potable water upgrades.