It has been two months since the Brisbane Launch of the 2018 Major Project Pipeline Report where I announced our intention to hold the summit and a lot has happened in that time. Notably, the New South Wales State Government launched an Action Plan for the construction industry to achieve the following ten key aims:
- Procure and manage projects in a more collaborative way
- Adopt partnership-based approaches to risk allocation
- Standardise contracts and procurement methods
- Develop and promote a transparent pipeline of projects
- Reduce the cost of bidding (provide clarity and consistency)
- Establish a consistent Government policy on bid cost contributions
- Monitor and reward high performance
- Improve the security and timeliness of contract payments
- Improve skills and training
- Increase industry diversity
The QMCA wholeheartedly agrees with these aims and we have used the announcement of this plan to engage with the Queensland Government on the need for improved collaboration here in Queensland. Whilst the imperative for the plan in NSW was largely to ensure the sustainability of the construction industry in that State given the current construction boom there is an equally compelling imperative for the adoption of similar targets here in fiscally constrained Queensland. Studies have shown that through increased collaboration it is possible to reduce the cost of construction by up to 30% and the time required to complete a project by 20%
I am pleased to report that so far our message has been positively received by Government and we are exploring a number of opportunities with them to increase engagement on this subject. As this could include the Government taking a lead role in the planned Collaboration Summit we have decided to postpone the Summit until early next year to allow more time for planning and further engagement.
In terms of the format of any summit we are keen to receive suggestions from industry but it is likely that the focus would be on the following four main areas for improved collaboration:
- Visibility and sustainability of the project pipeline
- Process for procuring projects
- Process for delivering projects
- Operation and maintenance of infrastructure assets
Thank you once again for registering your interest in being part of the summit. I will keep you inform of further developments but in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any suggestions / comments that you may have on this important subject
Regards
Jon Davies
CEO
QMCA
