Hamilton infrastructure projects take top honours at the Civil Contractors New Zealand Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards.
Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Alan Pollard said the awards, presented across six categories, were “well deserved recognition” for the untiring efforts of contractors building the infrastructure that supports economic growth and vibrant communities.
The award for projects with a value between $20 million and $100 million went to CB Civil for the Peacocke Northern Transfer Mains Project in Hamilton.
Undertaken by Hamilton City, the project is part of a wider infrastructure expansion that will make possible the building of 8,000 homes over the next 30 years in Hamilton.
The project provides two pressure mains of 630mm and 355mm diameter for about 5.5km along the busy Wairere Drive with associated tie-ins to existing operational infrastructure. Pipe depths vary up to 6m and include a mix of trenched and trenchless solutions, with traffic management, protection, relocation and replacement of existing underground and overhead services required.
The judges were most impressed by the collaboration and innovation shown by the contractor in initially providing a tender under budget for this lump sum contract and to also establish with the client an agreed set of project values, targets and objectives to define “what good looks like” for the project. Having done this, the contractor proposed and the client accepted, further value engineering proposals to bring the price down to a point where an additional $5million of work was able to be included within the original project budget while also providing better margin to the Contractor.
Remarkably over 200,000 hours were worked on the project without incident, the use of recycled and alternative materials to improve environmental outcomes, and the project was completed a year ahead of schedule.
So impressed was the client by the process that they sought external consultation on how they could modify their procurement process to achieve similar results.
Thirty-six finalists were announced from among the entries received in this year’s awards. In addition to the winners, six of the finalists received high commended awards, including Geovert, for developing a unique stabilising solution for an embankment adjacent to a new major Waikato River crossing to the Peacocke development in Hamilton.
As sub-contractors to HEB, Geovert developed a unique stabilising solution for the embankment adjacent to the abutments of a new major Waikato River crossing connecting to the existing SH 1 and enabling the rapidly developing major residential area in the south of Hamilton.
The work was carried out immediately adjacent to the Waikato River and for a height of around 35 metres above the river.
A custom designed platform was used to support a crawler rig for the 150 mm soil nail drilling. This enabled a safer work environment, a more cost effective and reduced timing for installing the soil nails and assisted greatly in protecting the Waikato River from pollution.
A special silt fence was constructed to provide protection at the river edge. This was regularly cleaned of debris that fell from the site.
A great team culture was developed and an excellent working relationship developed between HEB and Geovert. This has led to further opportunities for Geovert to work with HEB around the country.
Hirepool is Civil Contractors New Zealand’s Principal Business Partner and the premier sponsor for the awards. Hirepool general manager Gary Richardson says the quality of award applications received this year was extremely high.
“These awards are always a highlight of the year as they provide an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the best in the industry, and celebrate the skill, tenacity and ingenuity of civil contractors up and down New Zealand.”
