Our Executive General Manager for New Zealand Damian Pedreschi took the stage at the Building Nations conference in Auckland to facilitate a panel discussion on how Aotearoa’s infrastructure can be built to serve communities better, for longer. 

The panel, focusing on whole-of-life asset management, also included Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia Chief Executive David Jenkins, NZTA Waka Kotahi National Manager - Programme & Standards Vanessa Brown, Fulton Hogan Chief Operating Officer Infrastructure Services Simon Dyne, and Transpower Executive General Grid Delivery Manager Mark Ryall.

Speaking at the conference, Damian said many of the infrastructure assets being built today were intended to last 100 years or more; “a timespan well beyond most people's capacity for contemplation, let alone the next news cycle, the next election cycle, even human lifecycle”. 

Engage builders and maintenance providers at project outset

One of the key themes discussed by the panel was the importance of involving maintenance providers, as well as builders, right from the start of a project. Infrastructure assets are typically designed to last for many decades and panellists agreed that effective whole-of-life asset planning required consideration of long-term maintenance costs. 

Engaging the parties responsible for building and maintaining infrastructure assets as early as possible, ideally before the business case and designs for the asset are finalised, could significantly enhance cost-efficiency over its lifespan.

In New Zealand, early contractor engagement was not yet the norm, but some panellists mentioned overseas countries where it was becoming common practice. 

Ventia examples include Melbourne’s NorthLink and Sydney’s Western Harbour Tunnel, where early consultation with our business as the asset manager and maintenance provider has allowed for vital design modifications to improve long-term resilience and performance. Our input has led to a range of small but important design changes before construction begins, ranging from the inclusion of more built-in ladders and walkways providing easy maintenance access to overhead services, through to proposed amendments to the surface coating on steelwork to extend design life.

Embrace technology: whole-of-life asset modelling, BIM and digital twins

The use of new technologies to improve asset management was also discussed by the panel, including whole-of-life asset modelling and building information modelling (BIM).

For some time the lifespan of road materials has been modelled in different conditions, but this approach is now extending to materials used in other infrastructure. 

Ventia has pioneered an advanced whole-of-life asset modelling system that utilises extensive data from projects across New Zealand and Australia. Our system predicts the performance and longevity of various construction materials under different environmental and usage scenarios, allowing for more informed decisions on which materials to use, how much to budget for maintenance, and when to schedule maintenance interventions.

The panel also touched on technologies such as BIM and digital twins to enhance asset management by capturing detailed information about an asset’s components, installation locations, and maintenance history. This data can save significant time and cost for maintenance providers, ultimately resulting in more cost-effective infrastructure over time.

Changing the way procurement is done

A third theme of the panel discussion was New Zealand’s procurement practices. 

Ventia is a strong proponent of collaboration and this includes during the tender process where greater information sharing between customers and contractors can result in win-win outcomes. A degree of trust is key, with more information sharing at a project’s outset leading to better understanding by customers of a contractor’s capabilities and more accurate pricing of infrastructure projects by contractors, avoiding any surprises.

The panellists discussed the importance of choosing the best contract model for any given project, whether it is Alliancing, Public-private partnership (PPP), traditional public procurement or another model. When it came to maintenance contracts, some panellists commented that it paid to set contracts up in a way that allowed amendments to be made if technology or the way an asset was used changed over time.

“Building Nations was a fantastic conference, bringing government, asset managers and contractors together at the same venue to help shape a better future for New Zealand’s infrastructure,” Damian said.