Defence

Vice Chief of the Defence Force

Prime contractor announced

Artist's impression of the new Headquarters Joint Operations Command facility near Bungendore.

By Colin Blair

Praeco Pty Ltd (comprising Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd and ABN AMRO Australia Limited) has been selected as the preferred tenderer to construct and operate the new $300 million Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) facility to be located near Bungendore, NSW.

Defence commenced contract negotiations with Praeco Pty Ltd in early June 2006. Contract signing is planned for the end of June and on-site construction activity is anticipated to commence in September–October 2006.

The HQJOC Project marks a significant milestone for the Australian Government in that Praeco Pty Ltd will provide the buildings, infrastructure, maintenance and service components of the project under private financing arrangements.

'The consortium will be required to build, operate and maintain the new headquarters facility for the 30-year term of the contract, after which time the facility will revert to the Commonwealth,' the Director-General for the project, Air Commodore Jack Plenty, said.

'The project is on course for the new headquarters to become operational as planned by late 2008.'

An extensive independent community awareness survey was conducted late in 2005. The survey found that a large majority of the local communities in the Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Hoskinstown and Carwoola – Stony Creek areas are aware of the project, and most believe it will have a positive impact on their lives.

The award on 21 December 2005 of a three-year, $7 million contract to the Queanbeyan-based technology company, Codarra Advanced Systems, for project management and systems engineering services to assist the project deliver the command, control, communications, computer and intelligence (C4I) systems for the new headquarters is an example of the economic benefit that will flow to the region from this project.

The Air Commodore said that work on this IT contract was progressing well.

Artist's impression of the main foyer of Headquarters Joint Operations Command.

As part of the C4I systems component of the Headquarters Project, the Invitation to Register Interest for the tender to select a Prime System Integrator to design and deliver the C4I closed on 11 May 2006. Nine responses were received. A shortlist of up to five respondents will be invited to respond to the Request for Tender, which is expected to be released in early August 2006, with the selected Prime System Integrator to be contracted in the fourth quarter of 2006.

The overall cost of the C4I Active Systems procurement and installation is in the order of $55 million to $60 million, of which the Prime System Integrator contract is one component. The detailed breakdown of the Prime System Integrator component is being determined as part of the development of the Request for Tender documentation.

The final sections of land required for the project have recently been acquired. The total area of land acquired for the new facility is approximately 240 hectares, comprising about 218 hectares, or 540 acres, for the actual Headquarters site and about 22 hectares, or 54 acres, for the two access roads and a railway underpass.

Good progress also has been made with other activities on the site, including the installation of a new boundary stock fencing, extensive plantings of native trees and shrubs along the eastern and southern boundaries of the site, and the installation of an automatic weather-monitoring station. Meteorological data collected by the weather station is now accessible via the project's Internet website at: http://www.defence.gov.au/id/hqjoc/.

An extensive archaeological survey of the site and access routes to identify and preserve any heritage artifacts is also nearing completion, along with regular monitoring of the surface and sub-surface aquifer water resources. The results of the survey will be posted on the project's website when completed later in 2006.

The Headquarters Project, first announced by the Government in October 2001, will provide the Chief of the Defence Force with a first-class command-and-control facility to enable more effective command and control of the Australian Defence Force. The Headquarters will have an integrated staff structure, bringing together staff and agencies responsible for strategic and operational level planning and execution of military campaigns, operations and other designated activities, Air Commodore Plenty said.

For further information on the project, log on to: http://www.defence.gov.au/id/hqjoc/.

Colin Blair is the HQJOC Project Public Affairs Officer.

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