Work starts on $42 million defence project
Work has commenced on the recently awarded RAAF Base Amberley Stage 3 Redevelopment – Package 3 contract.
Valued at $42 million, the Laing O’Rourke head contract is the largest project the company has undertaken for the Defence Force at Amberley in Queensland.
The scope involves both new construction and refurbishment works including the existing hospital building which is occupied.
While these works present a number of complexities for the team, South West Queensland Area Manager Andrew Civil said the key challenge would be the program.
“Laing O’Rourke’s contract is being delivered concurrently with other contractor packages as part of the overall Stage 3 Redevelopment,” Andrew said.
“The interdependency between the separate contracts means that each portion of our work has a critical set duration and end date which forms part of the overall program being controlled by Defence.”
Additionally, the contract does not allow extensions of time for inclement weather.
This poses a significant risk during the groundworks and civil works periods where high amounts of wet weather can naturally cause delays.
“To manage this risk and achieve the fixed completion dates set for each portion of the works, the team has established and will continually review detailed short-term programs for the critical aspects of the project,” Andrew said.
Laing O’Rourke will also manage strict security ensuring a stringent control of all personnel and working procedures is undertaken.
All subcontractors and suppliers will be National Code compliant which will be assessed during the tender period and on-going for the procurement and construction phases.
Federal Safety Commission audits will occur during the project to monitor compliance.
RAAF Base Amberley is located approximately 8 kilometres west of Ipswich, at the western edge of the Brisbane Metropolitan area.
The base has used been for military operations since 1938 and was subject to two major redevelopments in 1999 and 2007.
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Rachael Layton, Corporate Communications Manager.
Ph. 07 3308 7619