Infrastructure: Building the future | ADM May 08

1 May 2008

The $133.4 million RAAF College Relocation Project is delivering new facilities at RAAF Base East Sale and RAAF Base Wagga on time and on budget.

By Katherine Ziesing, Canberra

RAAF College is responsible for the training of more than 5,500 recruits and officers each year.

The RAAF College Relocation Project has delivered a new Officer Training School facilities at RAAF Base East Sale and a new Recruit Training Unit facilities at RAAF Base Wagga, providing new working accommodation, training facilities and living-in accommodation for college staff and students.

A key to the project's success has been the collaborative working relationships behind the scenes between Defence, Managing Contractor Thiess and Project Manager Contract Administrator Coffey Projects.

Unlike previous Defence construction contracts, the RAAF College Relocation Project has been delivered under a new collaborative contract model, the Managing Contractor Contract (MCC-1 2003) with Thiess was appointed to the Managing Contractor role in August 2004.

The first of its kind in Australia, MCC-1 required the Managing Contractor to partner with the Department of Defence from the outset of the project, assisting with the development of a Detailed Business Case and participating in a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works Hearing.

Group effort
Don Gault, the Managing Contractor's Representative from Thiess, said the close involvement of key stakeholders and effective communication between stakeholders had been a key to the success of the RAAF College Relocation.

"The project involved a range of different stakeholders from different divisions within Defence," Gault explained.

"Our primary goal was to deliver outstanding OTS and RTU facilities that provided RAAF College with the capability to effectively provide training; engaging stakeholders throughout the life of the project has helped us achieve that."

Defence Support Group, Base Commanders, RAAF College OTS and RTU were involved in every stage of the projects to ensure facilities would provide the capability required by RAAF College.

Intensive workshops throughout the design phase resulted in facilities purpose-built for operations, while regular construction inspections allowed feedback to be received and actioned without adversely impacting handover schedules.

"It was important that we obtained a clear understanding of the expectations of all the stakeholders involved the project," said Gault.

The new RAAF College boasts improved functionality of facilities and addresses past problems with ageing temporary accommodation.

Facilities meet all targets for environmentally sustainable design, with the Headquarter buildings certified 4 Star Green Star for environmental sustainability and 4.5 star Australian Building Greenhouse Rating in terms of water management, electrical devices (including sensor activated lighting) and heating and cooling systems.

Water management has been an issue for the facility given the local climate.

Buildings collect their own rainwater to be used for toilet and showering amenities with grey water fed into ponds for use in irrigation and gardening for the site as well.

The facility has also been designed for users to bicycle around the site as much as possible with trails, bicycle racks and showers dotted throughout for ease of use.

Work in hand
As Managing Contractor for the HMAS Cairns project, Thiess is responsible for the redevelopment of a full range of operational and support facilities.

The project includes both the design and construction of marine, building, and civil including berthing space and shore services to accommodate all vessels to be based at HMAS Cairns.

Work was begun in August 2005 and the estimated finish time for the $76 million project is February 2009.

This project will provide HMAS Cairns with the capacity to sustain limited naval operations over an extended period, including the ability to replenish visiting Major Fleet Units (MFU) and Minor War Vessels (MWV) with food, water and fuel.

It will also provide port facilities for limited maintenance, administration, and medical/dental and training support.

After successfully delivering Stages 2 and 3 of the Lavarack Barracks Redevelopment, Thiess was awarded the role of Managing Contractor for Stage 4 of the Redevelopment in 2007.

It will include the refurbishment of existing infrastructure and construction of new buildings including office accommodation; amenity and storage areas; logistical, medical and training facilities; plant and vehicle workshops, transport compounds; road and service infrastructure as well as landscaping of grounds.

Lavarack Barracks is situated near the southern edge of Townsville in north Queensland, which is home to 3rd Brigade.