I'm interested in Winston Peters recommendations about going to market now on a third Harbour Crossing (the second is at Hobsonville). The Herald summed them up as follows:
1. Make the information held by New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Auckland Council available to infrastructure builders through an open tender process on the Government Electronic Tendering System;
2. Under disclosure agreements, let infrastructure builders assess all available information and address where and how is the most cost-effective solution to moving people across the harbour while spreading demand;
3. Enable those infrastructure firms to put forward and compete for tender, with the Government and Auckland Council selecting the best solution.
At a high level this is the sort of procurement process that Watercare are moving to as a way of harnessing the innovation, ideas, experience and capacity of the private sector upfront (second stage tenders would be funded to make their case). Notably, locally funded Watercare's Central Interceptor tunnel has come in on time and on budget, while many other centrally led infrastructure projects haven't.
1. Make the information held by New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Auckland Council available to infrastructure builders through an open tender process on the Government Electronic Tendering System;
2. Under disclosure agreements, let infrastructure builders assess all available information and address where and how is the most cost-effective solution to moving people across the harbour while spreading demand;
3. Enable those infrastructure firms to put forward and compete for tender, with the Government and Auckland Council selecting the best solution.
At a high level this is the sort of procurement process that Watercare are moving to as a way of harnessing the innovation, ideas, experience and capacity of the private sector upfront (second stage tenders would be funded to make their case). Notably, locally funded Watercare's Central Interceptor tunnel has come in on time and on budget, while many other centrally led infrastructure projects haven't.
If the government wants to delay because the project doesn't stack up against other projects then that's fine but they could stop throwing money at it in the meanwhile. There are plenty of good programmes being cut that could use those dollars.
I'm putting this picture in below because it seems to suggest that an underground passenger rail tunnel could be part of the mix (and wouldn't that be nice!)
I'm putting this picture in below because it seems to suggest that an underground passenger rail tunnel could be part of the mix (and wouldn't that be nice!)
Alex Bonham
Waitemata Local Board
