Early Contractor Involvement to identify dam price kicks off

The partners in the proposed Waimea Community Dam, Tasman District Council and Waimea Irrigators Ltd, have selected a preferred contractor to enter the Early Contractor Involvement process.

Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) brings the client, designer and contractor together to complete the final design with a focus on constructability and risk minimization to achieve the best value for money for the investment.

The joint venture of Fulton Hogan and Taylors Contracting have been appointed as the preferred contractor for the ECI process. Appointing a preferred contractor for this specific process does not automatically result in a decision to appoint a contractor or accept a tender price to build the dam. They are separate decisions for the Council and the Waimea Irrigator Ltd board (WIL) to make at the end of the ECI process.

The decision to move to the ECI process is essential if the project is to achieve financial close within the already agreed timeframe. Stepping outside the agreed timeframe puts at risk a number of key elements including access to the identified Government support.

The final design will take a number of months to complete with the final price not being known until April/May next year. Both the final design and pricing will be extensively peer reviewed prior to acceptance.

The ECI process enables the Council to make a fully informed decision with the confidence a project of this size and importance demands.

“During the recent hearings about the Council’s funding and governance proposals one of the key elements submitters were looking for was the price. It is natural people want to know how much it is going to cost. We have presented a very well researched and tested estimate but we have always known, and discussed publicly, that until the ECI process is concluded we would not know the final price,” said Council CEO Lindsay McKenzie.

ENDS

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