Council to consider Hawea water supply report

Queenstown Lakes District Council’s Infrastructure Committee is to consider a report evaluating how improvements to the Hawea water supply system were delivered last year.

Following a notification from contractors, QLDC commissioned Harrison Grierson Ltd (HG) to review and assess the processes involved in installation of the Hawea Water Supply capital expenditure project, from the initial decision making and design through to commissioning and operation.

A number of operational issues have been highlighted regarding the project, after upgrades completed last year have not provided the increased performance and resilience expected. The report reviews Council processes regarding the delivery of the project, in order for lessons to be learned and applied to the delivery of future projects.

QLDC General Manager Property and Infrastructure, Peter Hansby believes commissioning this report is a positive step for Council. “While the recommendations in this report may not be exactly what we’d like to hear, it is a responsible step by Council to take a look at our processes to make sure future projects deliver the best result possible.”

Contained in the report are fourteen recommendations for Council, particularly regarding how a large-scale project should be managed, with an emphasis on the need to ensure infrastructure spend is right sized to ensure it functions correctly.

“A number of the issues addressed in the report are already being dealt with by QLDC, who have implemented a detailed business case model to ensure projects are properly planned, managed and executed. What’s clear is that focusing on the quality and value of the infrastructure we deliver is important,” says Mr Hansby.

The QLDC Infrastructure Committee meets on 23 November 2017.

ENDS

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