Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA) has announced the winners of the 2019 National Infrastructure Awards.
Convened annually, the Awards recognise excellence in public administration and business, across major projects.
The Awards were overseen by an independent judging panel, comprising:
- Ms Leilani Frew, Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Project and Financing Agency (Chair)
- Ms Kim Curtain, Interim Deputy Secretary, Trade, Tourism, Investment and Precincts, NSW Treasury
- Dr Steven Kennedy PSM, Secretary, Federal Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
- Mr Jason Loos, Director, Department of Treasury and Finance, Victoria
- Mr Neil Scales, Director-General, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads
The winners and finalists for each category in the 2019 Awards are as follows:
- Project of the Year: Westconnex
Winner/s: NSW Treasury and Transport for NSW (Roads and Maritime Services) and their advisors Allens, Ashurst, BIS Oxford Economics, Clayton Utz, GHD, Goldman Sachs, Newgate Australia, Turner & Townsend, and PwC. Sydney Transport Partners (Transurban, AustralianSuper, Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, and Tawreed Investments) and their advisors; Advisian, Aquasia, Clifford Chance, EY, E3 Advisory, Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, KPMG, Macquarie Capital, Morgan Stanley, UBS, and WSP.
Finalists:
- Canberra Light Rail – ACT Government (Transport Canberra) and their advisors; Arup, Clayton Utz, EY, HASSEL Studio, RPS Group, Sparke Helmore, Turner & Townsend, and WSP. Canberra Metro Consortium (Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments, CPB Contractors, John Holland, Mitsubishi Corporation, MUFG, Pacific Partnerships and UGL) and their advisors; AECOM, Architectus, CAF, Herbert Smith Freehills, R-Co, and SMEC.
- Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project – The Alliance (comprising of Aurecon, CPB Contractors, Lendlease, Metro Trains Melbourne, WSP), Arcadis, Level Crossing Removal Project, and Major Transport Infrastructure Program.
- Wentworth to Broken Hill Pipeline – GHD, Jacobs, John Holland, MPC Kinetic, TRILITY, and WaterNSW
- Advisory Excellence Award: Sydney Metro Martin Place integrated development
Winner/s: Advisors to Transport for NSW; Ashurst, CBRE, KPMG. Advisors to Macquarie Group; Herbert Smith Freehills, Macquarie Capital, MinterEllison, PwC, and Arup.
Finalists:
- Infrastructure Victoria’s Advice on Automated and Zero Emissions Vehicles Infrastructure – Infrastructure Victoria
- Sydney Metro Northwest OTS – Turner and Townsend
- WestConnex Transaction – Advisors to the NSW Government; Allens, Ashurst, BIS Oxford Economics, Clayton Utz, GHD, Newgate Australia, PwC, and Turner & Townsend. Advisors to Sydney Transport Partners; Advisian, Clifford Chance, EY, E3 Advisory, Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, KPMG, and WSP
- Financial Excellence Award: Westconnex transaction
Winner/s: Financial Advisors to the NSW Government; Goldman Sachs, and NSW Treasury. Financial Advisors to Sydney Transport Partners; Aquasia, Macquarie Capital, Morgan Stanley, and UBS.
Finalists:
- Agribo, Centre for Agribioscience Refinancing – Plenary Group
- for Darling Harbour Live Refinancing – Capella Capital
- Kwinana Waste to Energy – Macquarie Capital
- Government Partnership Excellence Award: The Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project
Winner/s: The Alliance (comprising of Aurecon, CPB Contractors, Lendlease, Metro Trains Melbourne, WSP), Level Crossing Removal Project, and Major Transport Infrastructure Program.
Finalists:
- Canberra Light Rail – ACT Government (Transport Canberra), and Canberra Metro Consortium (Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments, CPB Contractors, John Holland, Mitsubishi Corporation, MUFG, Pacific Partnerships and UGL)
- Metro Tunnel Project: Rail Projects Victoria and PwC Indigenous Consulting Partnership – PwC’s Indigenous Consulting and Rail Projects Victoria
- Sydney Metro Martin Place Integrated Station Development – Macquarie Group, Sydney Metro, Transport for NSW
- Contractor Excellence Award: Wentworth to Broken Hill pipeline
Winner/s: John Holland and MPC Kinetic
Finalists:
- Bruce Highway Boundary Road Interchange – BMD Constructions
- Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project – CPB Contractors and Lendlease
- M80 Ring Road Upgrade: Sunshine Avenue to Calder Freeway – Fulton Hogan
- Operator and Service Provider Excellence Award: TasWater for the Regional Towns Water Supply Program – Stages 2 and 3
Winner/s: KBR, TasWater, and TRILITY
Finalists:
- Queensland Schools Project – Plenary Schools Consortium (Plenary Group, DeltaFM and Watpac) and Queensland Department of Education
- Incident Management Response – Transurban and Ventia
- Innovation Excellence Award: uninterruptible power supply for Melbourne’s railway signalling network
Winner/s: AECOM, AEG, Metro Trains Melbourne, Public Transport Victoria, and Thycon
Finalists:
- Dynamic Speed Management Trial – Transurban and VicRoads
- Kwinana Waste to Energy – Acciona, Dutch Infrastructure Fund, Keppel-Seghers, Macquarie Capital, Phoenix Energy Australia, and Veolia
- M80 Ring Road Upgrade: Sunshine Avenue to Calder Freeway – Cowri and Fulton Hogan
In addition, John Holland’s Simon Lehman won the Future Infrastructure Leader of the Year Award. Infrastructure Partnerships Australia said that Mr Lehmans’ profile stood out to the judging panel amongst all the other entries because of his extraordinary commitment to the infrastructure sector.
The judges found that Mr Lehman has proven to be a major asset and path-breaking engineer for the John Holland rail team. His on-the-job mentoring of younger team members and his exceptional work at the forefront of infrastructure delivery was exemplary.
Moreover, Major Road Project Victoria’s Alexis Davidson won the Award for Women’s Achievement in Infrastructure.
Ms Davidson has had a long and successful career in infrastructure over the last two decades. The judging panel said they were particularly impressed by her strong leadership and mentorship of other female engineers in the sector.
The judges praised Ms Davidson for consistently delivering outstanding business cases for Major Road Project Victoria and developing an impressive reputation for her innovative thinking and professionalism as a female engineer at the forefront of infrastructure delivery.
