Minor Improvements Panel Contract

The minor improvements panel is a collaborative group which provides professional services to deliver on Waka Kotahi's Minor Improvements Programme, comprising projects of less than $1M covering the Wellington, Taranaki and Manawatū regions.

Location

Wellington, New Zealand

Client

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

Project Value

$990k

Project Status

Start Date: October 2017. Estimated Completion Date: October 2021

Within the panel, individual projects range from designing early curve warning signs and median barriers, undertaking road safety audits,designing pedestrian and cyclist crossings on State Highways, intersection improvements and crash reduction studies.

CLIENT BRIEF/PROJECT CHALLENGES

The key outcome for Waka Kotahi was to reduce procurement time and cost for both the themselves and the panellists, and to demonstrate that Minor Safety Projects could be delivered in a timely manner at a competitive rate. In the first year, WSP delivered 13 projects between the initial engagement of the panel in October 2017, and the end of the financial year in June 2018. Subsequently, WSP has scoped a further 28 projects, which are either underway or have been completed. The key problem Waka Kotahi were trying to solve was a lack of capacity within their network outcome contracts (NOCs) to deliver minor Improvements quickly and to a tight budget.

OUR SOLUTION

WSP has drawn on our resources from our Wellington, Palmerston North, Whanganui and New Plymouth offices, which allowed us to respond quickly to requests for support and provide robust designs and advice.

OUTCOME/CLIENT BENEFITS

Waka Kotahi have extended the contract by an extra year due in large part to the success of the panel. The panel has also delivered a significant number of safety improvements - including warning signs, seal widening, side and median barriers, cycling and pedestrian improvements.