We’re turning 3!

Smedley Technical & Strategic celebrates our third year!

It’s been an amazing three years of success that we’ve enjoyed, working with the best people in the industry on some of the biggest or most complex projects undertaken. We’d like to thank all of those who have supported us over the three years, be it clients, partner organisations or other advisors. We are truly thankful for the relationships formed and the many successful milestones we’ve all achieved together.

As we move into our fourth year of operations we are looking to the future with excitement. We continue our involvement on some of the largest projects in the country and we’ve been growing our team, with two new recent additions to enable us to continue to meet client expectations.

Thanks again for your support over the last three years and we look forward to continue working together in the future.

Welcoming Louisa Jenkinson

Smedley Technical and Strategic is proud to announce that Louisa Jenkinson (nee Sorrentino) has joined the SmedTech team. Louisa has over 6 years’ experience in the transport industry and in that time has worked on an impressive range of major transport projects such as the North East Link, West Gate Tunnel, East West Link, CityLink-Tulla Widening, M80 Upgrade and Metro Tunnel projects.

Louisa will initially be working with Tony Frodsham of our team to assist the North East Link Authority with the Transport Impact Assessment as part of the Environmental Effects Statement.

Louisa is heavily invested in the transport industry which is evidenced through her current role as the treasurer for the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management (AITPM), and her role on the committee for the past four years.

Welcoming Jon Hunt

Smedley Technical and Strategic welcomes Jon Hunt to the SmedTech team. Jon brings 15 years of experience in the traffic and transport modelling industry, having worked on numerous projects in Australia and the United Kingdom. Jon has been based in Victoria for the last ten years and has worked on some of the largest freeway and infrastructure modelling projects within the state. Most recently these have included the North East Link and the West Gate Tunnel. Jon was also a primary contributor to the NSW Roads and Maritime Services microsimulation development guidelines.

Jon’s primary focus is the development and analysis of VISSIM microsimulation models for major infrastructure and development projects. One of Jon’s key strengths is the ability to communicate this detailed technical information in a clear and transparent way such that it can be easily understood and digested by a non-technical audience.

North East Link takes another step forward

On the 24th of November, the Victorian State Government announced the preferred corridor for the North East Link that will connect the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough to the Eastern Freeway in Bulleen. This announcement marks another a step forward in the development of this project and with the business case submitted at the end of 2017 will allow for the start of the planning approval and procurement process in 2018. Smedley Technical & Strategic have played a key role in the project to this stage, including a significant involvement in the development of the Business Case and through providing technical and strategic advice to the project team, developing options and undertaking analysis to assist in determining the most suitable corridor route. At a projected cost of $16.5 Billion, this new link will be the largest infrastructure project in Victoria’s history and the second largest in Australia.

Since Smedley Technical & Strategic was formed in 2015 we have now been involved on almost every major Victorian transport infrastructure project. These projects include the Western Roads Upgrade PPP  (formerly Outer Suburban Arterial Roads Western Package), West Gate Tunnel (formerly Western Distributor), independent transport expert witness advice for MMRA for the planning panel for Melbourne Metro and more recently North East Link.  Together, these projects are expected to have a delivery cost of approximately $35 Billion.

Welcoming Andrew Colman

Smedley Technical and Strategic is thrilled to welcome Andrew Colman to the team. Andrew brings over 15 years of extensive experience in the development and evaluation of major transportation projects. Specifically integrating the technical, commercial and economic aspects to build the project through from concept to business case and procurement.

Andrew brings with him experience in a range of projects, from advising Transurban on the Citylink-Tulla Widening and West Gate Tunnel projects to leading teams undertaking assessments for Government, including in the Ports, Rail and Freight sectors.

Andrew looks forward to bringing his expertise in the leadership, management and co-ordination of diverse teams on both the public and private sector sides to the clients of Smedley Technical & Strategic.

Ticking Over Another Successful Financial Year

With the financial year recently coming to a close, Smedley Technical & Strategic looks back on what has been another exciting and rewarding 12 months. During this time, the Smedley Technical & Strategic team has doubled in size, with the additions of Tony Frodsham, Kris Saw and Lucy Simms. This team is now helping deliver some of the State’s largest transport infrastructure projects.

Over the last financial year, Smedley Technical & Strategic was engaged by the Department of Treasury and Finance to provide specialist technical advice to the State on the Outer Suburban Arterial Road Program (OSARs Program) under a PPP model that will be the first of its kind in Australia. At the beginning of 2017 Smedley Technical & Strategic was engaged by the new North East Link Authority, to assist in the development of the project Business Case and in providing technical and strategic advice to the project team. Smedley Technical & Strategic is proud to play a role on two pivotal projects that will enhance the economy and productivity of the State.

In May, this year the Smedley Technical & Strategic team relocated to a new office on Level 30 at 35 Collins Street, bringing us closer to our clients and industry partners and providing space for further growth. Let us know if you’d like to stop in and have a coffee and check out the new space.

We look forward to another exciting year ahead of continued and sustainable growth and to maintaining our position as a trusted and loyal advisor of choice on major transport infrastructure projects.

Technical Advice - North East Link

In December 2016, the State Government announced that it would build a North East Link that will connect the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough to the Eastern Freeway and EastLink. A new North East Link Authority was formed to spearhead the development of this vital project.

The Government announced that the project will start with business case development, consultation and route selection which will be complete by 2018. The planning approval and tender processes will begin in 2018.

In January of 2017, Smedley Technical & Strategic was engaged by the new North East Link Authority, to assist in the development of this Business Case and in providing technical and strategic advice to the project team.

The Smedley Technical & Strategic team will assist the North East Link Authority in the development of a number of potential North East Link corridor options and undertake assessments on each of these to assist in recommending a preferred corridor and project alignment. The Smedley Technical & Strategic team will also provide advice on matters such as transport planning, transport network impacts and benefits, oversight on transport modelling and consideration of potential tolling structures for the project.

Technical Advice - OSARs

In November 2016 Smedley Technical & Strategic was engaged by the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance to provide PPP Specialist Technical Advice to the State on the Outer Suburban Arterial Road Program (OSARs Program).  

The OSARs Program involves the design and construction of several arterial road upgrades, and the rehabilitation and maintenance of a large proportion of Melbourne’s arterial road network over the next 25 years under a PPP model; the first of its kind in Australia. The Program has been separated into a number of packages with the $1.8 billion Western Package currently in development. This package is set to cover 700 lane kilometres of Victorian roads stretching from Werribee to Footscray.

Smedley Technical & Strategic is providing a range of specialist advisory services including, primarily, the development of technical documentation for the Western Package. Other advisory services Smedley Technical & Strategic is providing includes:

• Refining and improving upon previous Project Scope and Requirements (PSRs) documentation;
• Technical inputs into the Project Deed;
• Assistance with the development of KPI’s, availability abatements and performance requirements for the project; and
• The review and evaluation of submissions.

Welcoming Kris Saw and Lucy Simms

Smedley Technical and Strategic is pleased to announce that in November we welcomed two new members to the team, Lucy Simms and Kris Saw. This continues the trend of rapid growth of Smedley Technical and Strategic over the past eighteen months.

Lucy has 10 years of professional experience in a career that has spanned civil engineering, transport planning, and development management. Prior to joining Smedley Technical & Strategic, Lucy has worked in the consulting industry for a large international consulting firm and in the property industry for a private property development group. Lucy has assisted government clients through the development of business cases for major public transport infrastructure investments and Lucy was also the project manager for two major Growth Area corridor planning studies.

Kris is a transport consultant who has been involved in a wide range of projects for government authorities in Australia and the Middle East. His experience covers traffic and transport assessments, route option assessments, infrastructure strategies and the preparation of technical specifications for PPP contracts. Prior to joining Smedley Technical & Strategic, Kris has worked on the Western Distributor project, providing traffic advice and expertise to the State government, with inputs to the business case, transport impact assessments and the Scoping and Technical Requirements documentation.

Both Lucy and Kris will add significantly to the value offering of  Smedley Technical & Strategic as we look to continue providing the right advice and solutions for our clients.

Welcoming Tony Frodsham

Smedley Technical and Strategic is proud to announce that Tony Frodsham has joined the team. Tony has over 15 years in the transport engineering industry, with experience across Australia, the United Kingdom and the Middle East. Tony brings specialised experience in Traffic and Transport engineering with considerable experience on large transportation infrastructure projects, having worked on most of the major projects across Victoria for the past 10 years including the M1 upgrade, EastLink, Peninsula Link and the M80 Upgrade.  He has also provided strategic advice to government, such as traffic engineering assistance for the Eddington Report.

Recently, Tony has led the traffic and transportation components for the technical advisor to the State team for the Western Distributor proposal. Tony has assisted in the development of the reference design through the provision of specialist transport engineering advice and knowledge of the surrounding road network. 

A Successful First Year!

As we move into the 2016/2017 financial year, Smedley Technical and Strategic is proud to announce a successful completion of our first full financial year of operation. In that time, we have assisted key clients such as Metro Trains Melbourne, the Department of Treasury and Finance, Department of Economic Development Jobs Transport and Resources, Melbourne Metro Rail Authority and the Level Crossing Removal Authority. We have provided technical and strategic advice on major projects such as the Western Distributor Market Led Proposal, Melbourne Metro Rail Project, Flinders Street Station Redevelopment and the Level Crossing Removal Program.

Our team has grown with the addition of Richard Warwick and Les Bull, both bringing a wealth of experience in the transport infrastructure industry.

We now look forward to an exciting period ahead where we will continue our involvement in exciting infrastructure projects in the transport sector. We look forward to continued and sustainable growth and to maintaining our position as an advisor of choice on major transport infrastructure projects.

Welcoming Les Bull

Smedley Technical & Strategic is excited to welcome Les Bull to the team. Les joined Smedley Technical & Strategic in April of 2016 and brings with him a wealth of experience in managing and delivering major transport projects in Victoria.

Les’ experience covers leadership roles on EastLink and Peninsula Link for the government bodies Southern and Eastern Integrated Transport Authority (SEITA) and the Linking Melbourne Authority (LMA). Les has the experience of not only developing PPP technical documentation but also the experience of administering these contracts to successful project completion. Prior to these major projects Les held leadership positions in VicRoads, including the role of Executive Manager Regional Projects for Metro South East Region.

Les has recently been providing advice to the State project team in the areas of technical documentation and procurement for the Western Distributor Market Led Proposal.