Local employment and procurement will be the priorities for BESIX Watpac as they undertake a $32 million refurbishment of facilities in the Singleton Military Area in NSW.
The 14,000 hectare facility is home to both the Singleton Military Training Area and the Lone Pine Barracks where the bulk of the work is to be done. The project will remediate critical base infrastructure and rebuild or refurbish supporting logistics buildings.
The project will support 80 to 100 jobs at its peak, with the bulk of the work to be delivered by local subcontractors.
BESIX Watpac General Manager for NSW, Peter Furlong said local and Indigenous employment and procurement are key objectives for the company on any project, but particularly those in regional areas.
“We expect to achieve local engagement of 82 per cent on this project which will be a significant boost for local businesses within a 150 kilometre radius of the base,” Furlong said.
“In line with our national approach, we are also targeting Indigenous employment and believe we can reach four per cent on this project.”
There will be a broad range of trade opportunities for local subcontractors including carpenters, landscapers, glaziers, tilers, concreters, structural steelworkers, joiners, roofers, electricians, plumbers, brick layers and demolition specialists.
One of the more significant work element is the full refurbishment of the mess facilities for the Singleton Military Area. This work will take approximately seven months requiring the construction of temporary modular facilities.
Work is already underway and should be completed by December 2021.