Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

This week has seen me focus my efforts on finalising a tender proposal to win an option study for the Upgrade of Port Drive at Brisbane Port.  It was like being a 2IC all over again with the red pen (actually I used a pencil as it’s less aggressive) and really started to add some value, particularly on the commercial side of things.  The most interesting element for me was starting to realise the urgent need to win work.  Initially I costed up the job to just under $500k.  I then had to make reductions to the works programme to reduce man hours and subsequently reduce rates to 70%.  This reduced overall cost to $300k but it still wasn’t enough. After further slashing by the Project Director and devaluing me to nil cost (billed to work experience instead of my grade) the cost was brought down to $250k.

There is a clear shortage of work and the transportation group are very desperate to win this one!!!  That said, it’s not solely based on price and there is a technical element to the proposal evaluation.  GHD put together a reasonable offer with some strengths which will put them in a good position, not least the current works being undertaken for the Port of Brisbane (the client) and previous involvement with the Department for Transport & Main Roads who will be a large influence on works.

There is sadly not much else to report on less for social activity.  I am part of the Transportation Group touch footy (rugby) group and once a week we run round Roma Street Parklands of a lunchtime for an hour in the ridiculous heat and humidity. I’ve lost a yard of pace since I was younger but still have a good side-step.  I have signed up for a new training regime at the gym “kosama” which claims to “see the benefits in 4-5 weeks”.  We’ll see, but going to the gym again after a 10 month absence is doing me a world of good.

BRISBANE FLOODS

Fortuitously I had not published the above as I was going to try to add more to it but since last week we have been battered by horrific storms and subsequent flooding!  The state of Queensland is in tatters along the coastline following the storm damage caused by a downgraded cyclone moving South from the Cape York Peninsular.  Our previous home of Gladstone was hit pretty hard and I know that there was considerable damage to the port and some elements of the GLNG site; the site was closed for 4 days and people were left stranded on Curtis Island.  A few kilometres away in Boyne-Tannum my old supervisor had flood waters rise to the front of his house but fortunately not enter the property.  The town of Bundaberg has been declared a disaster zone with the worst ever recorded floods and even the beloved rum factory (my favourite tipple since turning native) has been affected but fortunately the stock and molasses has been saved.  The rest of the town however is in bad shape and will take months if not years to recover.

More locally, Brisbane has not suffered as badly as first anticipated with flood levels significantly lower than 2011.  That said we live in the Oxley Creek flood plain and it was a little bit tense for a while. In 2011 our house was 2m under water so the neighbours were rightly excited and emotional about the potential of a flood again.  We were advised (by the overly emotional neighbours) to empty the house and sand bag it as they had done but followed the Brisbane Council guidance instead, coupled with my own calculations based on Richard Farmers lectures on drainage and catchment areas! There was a risk of flooding but a low(ish) risk, but to appease Lisa who was slightly concerned, I drew the short straw on Monday night when the peak was meant to be reached and undertook flood watch for the house. As predicted we weren’t hit but the water got to within 5 metres away and about 0.5-1m below the house. Close enough for pushing our comfort zone but not close enough for panic stations.

Brisbane is now in recovery mode reconnecting power to the 200,000+ homes who lost it, cleaning up the debris, cutting up the fallen trees and trying to get life back to normal.  All being well it’ll pretty much be there by next Monday but there is still a risk of more flooding in some lowland areas.  Overall, not a particularly great Australia Day weekend on the East coast but a life experience all the same!