In our final build for the year, we were delighted to welcome our latest cohort to Kallibr’s training facility at the Construction Training Centre for their 8-day CMP Advisory and Project Management Story Bridge Build.
Comprising undergraduates and early career professionals from design, engineering and contracting, the task for our cohort is simple, compete to win a tender to build a scale replica Story Bridge and deliver it to their client by 10 am on Friday, 2nd December for the bridge opening ceremony.
Through the program, they will be joined by leaders across the industry for sessions on communication, cost control, project tracking and scheduling, design, lean construction methodologies, contracts and commercials through our lunch and learn and lecture program. On top of that, they will receive mentoring from the team at CPM Advisory and Project Management, safety training, tools and material handling training as they move through the program into the second week where they will be on site and on the tools constructing their structure.
Day one started bright and early as Neil Silversides, and the Constructionarium team welcomed the team and outlined the expectations and opportunities ahead of them. After a safety briding by CPM and a session on communications and story telling by James Flaherty, it was time to split the cohort into two teams who will compete to win the tender for the bridge build.
Armed with their RFT, and possibly wondering what they have let themselves in for, our cohort headed from the classroom to site to familiarise themselves with the location, the restriction and the equipment that would become central to their success. For their lunch and learn, Nelson Ganhao joined us for a session on the original design intent of the Story Bridge, covering the bridge’s history, construction methodology and rationale for a project that not only connected Brisbane but also created employment and opportunity during a global economic downturn.
Our friends from Bentley joined us to talk about all things cost control. Synchro Perform expert Luke Read provided an overview of the platform and outlined the system’s capability and capacity to track every aspect of their build, provide real-time cost and project tracking as well and access to real-time reporting for their client. And just like that day one had passed in a blur for our cohort.
Day two was all about getting on with the tender. Intended to mimic real-world conditions, our tender time frame is two days, with various submission deadlines along the way before the team presents to a client panel that will scrutinise every aspect of their build. That’s right, two days to plan, schedule, and cost their build and to come up with a compelling presentation to give the client confidence in their abilities to deliver the project safely, on-time and on budget.
Neil Silversided ran a lunch and learn on how to win a tender. Covering the fundamentals of pricing, scheduling and costing, the insights and expert knowledge provided will set the teams up well for tender success.
And then it was back to it. With deadlines looming and a clock ticking seemingly ever faster, the pressure was on. So, just what each bid manager needed was our comms team interrupting them to check in and find out how they are going.
Up first was Team Else’s Charlotte, a graduate civil engineer with HDR.
How is the tender going?
Good, a little stressful as we get to grips with the deadlines. We have a lot to do before tomorrow to complete the submission and then put together a presentation for the panel.
What tender experience does the team have?
Not a great deal. I have been involved in a few tenders, but this is a new experience for us all.
What do you think the client wants to see from your tender submission?
Safety, a competitive price and a schedule that can deliver the project against an immovable deadline.
What will set your team apart from the opposition?
We have a good breadth of roles and experience in the team. A lot of perspectives and ideas and I think we can come up with something unique to present to the client.
Are you going to win the tender to build the CPM Story Bridge?
I hope so…yes we will win.
Up next, representing Team Merle, was Connor, an engineer with TMR.
How is the tender going?
Good..well. We’ve come together as a team, allocated tasks, and we are getting on with the job.
What tender experience doe the team have?
A couple of the team have had a little experience on the client and contractor side, so we have a good place to start from. We’ve also got a nicely balanced team and I think that will give us a strong approach with ideas from across the team.
What do you think the client wants to see from your tender submission?
Safety, we have to operate with the highest safety standards. Capability, we have to give them confidence that our team can do what we promise and that we thoroughly understand the project. And finally, a robust schedule, we can’t be late, and our schedule has to be able to deliver.
What will set your team apart from the opposition?
Our people. But we have also been asking lots of questions and working with the client to understand exactly what they want to see, so hopefully, we won’t have assumed anything and can meet their expectations.
Are you going to win the tender to build the CPM Story Bridge?
Of course.
Who will win? We will find out on Friday; good luck to both teams.
