Industry Briefings on New Major Works Procurement and Contract Documents
Infrastructure Tasmania, in partnership with the Office of the Crown Solicitor, have undertaken a project to review and update the full suite of procurement and contract documents used by government agencies and entities to procure construction works and services (the project). This is a key action of the building and construction industry roundtable.
The project has been driven, in part, by the unprecedented $27.3 billion program of works anticipated to be completed by the Tasmanian Government and private sector that is detailed in Tasmania’s 10-year Infrastructure Pipeline.
Through consultation with industry, we understand the need to change, update and ensure the currency of these documents to simplify, modernise and create consistency and greater efficiency across whole of government tendering and contracting processes.
The new documents, for major construction projects, are based on the AS4000/AS4902 suite of documents prepared by Standards Australia.
The new suite of construction contracts will be easier to use and administer. The new contracts also facilitate agencies being able to appropriately and consistently tailor their contract to ensure each project has a clear and appropriate risk allocation.
It is intended that Tasmanian Government agencies will use the new suite of documents for relevant procurement activity commencing on or after 1 September 2023.
To support the transition to the new documents the Office of the Crown Solicitor is running a comprehensive training program for affected staff within government and external contract administrators (superintendents).
Infrastructure Tasmania has completed industry briefing sessions (held across July and August 2023) to ensure that the transition to the new documentation is efficient and effective. These sessions were well attended with sound feedback provided.
Status Update July 2024
Following the release of several recent ‘Request for Tender’ across a number of projects, including a range of new civil related projects, the Department of State Growth facilitated an updated industry briefing session on 24 July 2024 on the newly introduced ‘Major Works Procurement and Contract Documents’. This session included general industry representation and members from the Tasmanian Civil Contractors Federation.
The objective of the session was to provide attendees with a clear understanding of the requirements and need for change, how the change is presented to users and what has changed or has not changed. Overall the project, since going live in September 2023, seeks to modernise, ensure consistency and streamline the contract documentation process for construction related projects undertaken across Tasmanian Government agencies.
Those who were unable to attend can download a copy of the industry briefing presentation and Q&As.
To obtain an example of the new major works contract, please email your request to projects@infrastructure.tas.gov.au. Only one request per organisation please.
Feedback
For any feedback or suggestions on the new major works contract or procurement suite, please contact Infrastructure Tasmania at projects@infrastructure.tas.gov.au