In this issue we look back at the build and fitout of the Building and Construction Industry Training Fund’s (CTF) new offices and careers centre at Belmont. The CTF supports the training of eligible people in the building and construction industry. Its goal is to improve the quality of training and to increase the number of skilled workers. It has supported the training and employment of more than 60,000 apprentices and trainees and has helped over 500,000 industry workers upgrade their skills.
CTF appointed ACORPP to search for the location of their new home where they could house a purpose-built facility to meet the future needs of their trainees and apprentices. A site in Belmont was identified and ACORPP negotiated the acquisition which included a due diligence period. We were then ready to handover the site to our project management team. The $5 million project for their new centre commenced between late 2016 with completion midway through the following year.
A highlight was the incorporation of interactive displays and virtual reality technology that would enhance future training needs of trainees and apprentices. The new build consisted of two sections; traditional offices and a warehouse that would house all the futuristic technology.
Georgiou Group was selected as the builder while ACORPP’s role was to provide client-side project management services. These included stakeholder engagement in the development of the brief, coordination of design consultants, and the management of procurement processes for consultants and the head contractor.
CTF had certain pre-requisites for that head contractor which included active apprenticeship and trainee engagement programs. ACORPP built these into the tender process and established mechanisms against which the head contractor reported during the construction process.
One of the complexities of this project occurred during a change in key client stakeholders. That impacted the integration of the base build and the warehouse fitout design. This significant change in scope was managed by ACORPP through clear communications with the whole project team. A feedback loop ensured any schedule or cost impacts were communicated in a timely manner back to the client to enable them to make informed decisions. And these defined communication processes were instrumental in a successful project completion.
