Projects the size of the South Road Superway construction need great surveillance and guidance. Davis Langdon, an AECOM company, was in charge of this guidance and employed UniPhi’s project portfolio management software in order to create and maintain transparency throughout and within the project environment. The Flexibility of UniPhi for Major Projects allowed it to support, calculate and justify a complex fee contract. UniPhi’s software was also used so schedule surveillances and document their results.
Background
The South Road Superway includes the creation of a 4.8 kilometre non-stop, north-south transport corridor
between the Port River Expressway and Regency Road. It also includes construction of a 2.8 kilometre
elevated roadway. The project is part of The Australian Government’s $500 million commitment towards
the upgrade of South Road, providing $406 million to the project, in partnership with the South Australian
Government’s Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure (DTEI).
As the Independent Reviewer, Davis Langdon and AECOM will manage and control independent review of
design of the South Road Superway Project through the design of the D&C phase of the project and
certification of the completed design. During the construction phase of the project Davis Langdon and
AECOM are responsible for conducting surveillance of constructed works. AECOM is a global provider of
professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including
transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government.
The Challenge
The independent reviewer is the chief quality assurer for the government during design, construction,
testing and commissioning the road. This means its systems and processes need to be transparent, robust
and have their own in-built quality control points. The Independent Verifier faces several risks in the
selection of a system to support its processes. Stakeholder communications can vary greatly as the project
progresses and the need for quick responses to press releases, site investigations and other client
information requests is paramount. Users of the system are from multiple organisations, a complex system
that required significant levels of training will lead to restiance and the creation of shadow systems being
used with a resulting loss of transparency. The key to reducing resistance is for the tool to help support
record management workflows for those on the ground. This then enables a simpler document control
model to be implemented as it can be leveraged from the existing records already entered.
The contract for this particular deployment was also very complicated hence making the financial
management of their fee as the Independent verifier on the $812m South Road Superway project very
challenging.
The Solution
UniPhi takes workflow to a more practical level and creates transparency in documentation and records
management that makes auditing business processes simple and efficient. This has enabled the IREA to
focus on their key job of reviewing design documents, surveying construction and certifying progress.
Some of the key features utilised to meet document control demands are:
- Simple integration with construction companies document management system via web links and MS
Outlook integration.
- Records management workflow where all the actions, documentation and responses to a design or
construction package can be viewed in one screen
- Document version control, transmittal registers and digital sign off to ensure that the latest document
is used for review
- Programme reporting on number of activities completed in a time period, witness reports and design
reviews conducted etc.
In addition to the document and records management, The IV was able to utilise some of UniPhi's other
features like timesheets and contract administration to track their overall fee on the job and measure
overall project performance.
UniPhi tracks each team member's time and compares this to budget hours on the job, calculating discounts
owed to the client and productivity bonuses based off contractual performance criteria. This is converted
into Actual and Budget $ values using standard cost and revenue rates. UniPhi's reporting capability is then
utilised to produce "S" Curves and other trend based financial reports for the IV management to review.
UniPhi’s document management and reporting capabilities enables streamlining of the document control
process and internal workflows, meaning that inter-team communication is enhanced and service level
agreements are easily met. UniPhi has been integrated with DTEI’s own system to make the process
seamless and efficient.
An innovative product development, which is proving to be a huge benefit to the construction surveillance
team, is the ability to capture photos and complete surveillance checklists on-site using Android Tablets
directly into UniPhi. This has eliminated the need to scan checklists and photos back in the office enabling
reviewers more time on-site and more time working with the contractors. Reviews can also be ‘live’, not
having to be delayed by more paperwork.
The Results
The ultimate goal was for a simple and flexible system that allowed for changing requirements as the
project progressed. This goal has been exceeded through the use of UniPhi's unique programme
management functionality. Key to the success of this deployment has been the flexibility of UniPhi. Large,
high profile government projects are a moving feast in terms of reporting requirements. UniPhi enables the
IV to be confident in their reporting and efficient in its supply.
About AECOM
AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of
markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government. With
approximately 45,000 employees around the world, AECOM is a leader in all of the key markets that it
serves. AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in
delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world's built, natural and social environments.
A Fortune 500 company, AECOM serves clients in more than 140 countries and had revenue of $8.2 billion
during the 12 months ended March 31, 2013. Follow AECOM on Twitter at @AECOM.
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