Central Hawke’s Bay District Council has awarded leading infrastructure company, Downer, a $100 million roading maintenance contract spanning the next 10 years.
Council combined road maintenance, road reseals, and road reconstruction into one contract for the district’s 1265kms of roading network, with a stipulation that 25% of the work goes to local contractors and suppliers.
“Combining this work into a single contract reduces costs to our ratepayers. The outcomes will be better because Downer can plan long-term, so they can be more efficient resulting in reduced costs,” said Mayor, Will Foley.
“Council’s creating operational efficiencies and saving dollars each year by having one supplier do this work, so we’re being smarter about how we’re delivering for community.
“One of our key criteria when procuring this work was ensuring that where we could, we kept work local. This contract will inject millions back into the local economy and increases the opportunities for people who choose to call Central Hawke’s Bay home,” Mayor Foley says.
Downer is partnering with local contractors, which includes HES Earthmoving Ltd, BT Agriculture Ltd and Edwoods Contracting Ltd.
Council’s Group Manager Infrastructure & Asset Management, Mark Kinvig says the 10-year contract has layers of benefits for the community.
“The end result is better investment in planning, people and machines than we see when the work is split across smaller shorter-term contracts,” Mr Kinvig says.
“We’re securing long-term work for our local contractors and Downer employees and putting millions of dollars back into the local economy.
“Ultimately, this contract with Downer gives us consistent service delivery across the network,” Mr Kinvig says.
Downer Regional Manager – East Coast, Oliver Postings says the company was thrilled to have won the contract, which will provide significant benefits for Central Hawke’s Bay.
“We’re proud to be partnering with local contractors and investing in people and skills within the district. Using local knowledge and expertise is critical to delivering safe, reliable and efficient road maintenance services,” Mr Postings says.
When procuring the work Council awarded the contract based on how well each supplier could deliver the work, support the local community, and provide long-term value for ratepayers.
The scope of the contract includes:
o Maintenance of unsealed roads
o Maintenance of sealed roads
o Drainage and culvert maintenance and renewals
o Footpath maintenance and renewals
o Mechanical vegetation control
o Maintenance of road marker, signage, and other road furniture
o Street cleaning
o Initial emergency response works, including storm damage, flooding, slips, and
hazards such as fallen trees
o Road re-seals
o Area-Wide Pavement Treatments (AWPTs).
