A road resurfaci
ng procurement partnership between the NZ Transport
Agency and the Whakatāne District Council is making maintenance more
cost effective, the pair say – and will be rolled out on a wider basis.
The
partnership involves the two organisations contracting out similar work
programmes under one contract, as opposed to operating separate
contracts.
Acting highways manager Mark Haseley says the
partnership is now being emulated in other areas of the Bay of Plenty –
and nationally – as part of the Transport Agency’s drive to achieve
more customer-focused outcomes.
The
Eastern Bay of Plenty is the first to take this approach and reflects
the agency putting into practice a ‘one network’ approach to road
maintenance.
“A collaborative approach to road maintenance
enables both parties to maximise the investments being made in our
networks – to better meet the needs of our customers,” says Haseley.
Resurfacing
maintenance work which will be undertaken on local roads and state
highways in the Whakatane District between now and March next year is
the second of this type of procurement contract that the Transport
Agency and the council have jointly awarded.
Council
transportation manager, Martin Taylor, says combining contracts avoids
duplicating effort and ensures residents and road users get the best
possible value for their infrastructure investment.
“It is
undoubtedly a better way of using our resources and we see this approach
being applied to a wider range of road maintenance applications in the
future.”
The resurfacing joint contract has been awarded to Fulton Hogan for approximately $5.5 million.
“$2.2
million will be spent on the state highway network throughout the
eastern Bay of Plenty, and $3.2 million is to be spent on Whakatane
District Council roads. This joint investment will help ensure roads in
the area are well maintained and safe to drive on,” says Haseley.
