Defence

Corporate Services and Infrastructure Group

Infrastructure Division gains ISO certification for its quality system

By Robert Lean

Geoff Beck, Head Infrastructure Division, receiving the certification certificate from Kevin James of DLIQ Certification Services.

In November 2005, Corporate Services and Infrastructure Group (CSIG) obtained ISO 9001:2000 third party certification for its Infrastructure Management (IM) compliance and risk management system.

Infrastructure Division manages, on a national basis and on behalf of Defence, all buildings, infrastructure and property as 'corporate assets' and is responsible for all 'building owner' functions. This role includes the development, implementation and review of appropriate policies, strategic planning, development and delivery of capital works, property acquisitions and disposals and technical authority responsibility for environmental performance across the portfolio.

For a project management quality system to be effective and efficient, it has to be easily accessible, navigable and intuitive to use. Importantly, the best system has limited value if users won't use it. Users needed to see that the IM system added real value and was not perceived as an unnecessary process burden on achieving their program or project objectives.

A series of workshops were conducted over a 12 month period to document the Division's business processes, policies and supporting tools to ensure that the system was 'owned' by its key stakeholders. The system was designed with these key requirements in mind and the assessor, in his report to Joint Accreditation Services of Australia and New Zealand recommending certification to ISO 9001:2000, noted that the IM system is "particularly well documented and structured, provides clear direction and is easy to navigate."

Defence has an annual investment of approximately $350 million in the program of approved capital facilities projects, known as the 'Green Book', and this quality system certification of the capital works planning, development, delivery and disposal phases of estate management will assist CSIG purchase and manage the services provided by the construction industry in a consistent and controlled way.

As an internal compliance and risk management tool, compliance to the IM system by CSIG staff ensures that Commonwealth procurement, financial, statutory, regulatory and technical requirements were being met, whilst improving our performance in delivering on time, on budget and fit for purpose infrastructure assets for Defence to support capability.

The system is accessible on the Defence Intranet and CSIG consultants, while contractors are also able to view and download any security cleared, non-restricted templates and documents they require to undertake work for CSIG over the Internet.

Work has now commenced to extend the ISO certification to cover estate related work managed by the CSIG's National Operations Division.

For further information or any inquiries, contact Lisa Drummond, ID Quality Manager 02 6266 2086, or Tanya Martens, Web Manager on 02 6266 8214.
Robert Lean is Director of Compliance and Risk Management, in Corporate Services and Infrastructure Group

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