Burdekin Falls Dam Improvement Project
Sunwater is progressing the Burdekin Falls Dam improvement and raising project to support dam safety and future water security in the lower Burdekin River region of Queensland.
Burdekin Falls Dam comprises a 504 metre conventional concrete spillway and approximately 4,800 metres of earth and rockfill embankment dams on the Burdekin River. Completed in 1987, the dam plays an important role in providing water for irrigation and regional development.
RPS was engaged to complete a Detailed Business Case under the Queensland Government's Business Case Development Framework and Australian Government requirements. RPS was subsequently engaged to support Sunwater with delivery model advice and transaction management for procurement of the designer and alliance partners required to deliver the works.
The challenge
The project responds to updated dam safety requirements, including the need to address the impact of climate change on the probable maximum flood. The improvement works are intended to ensure Burdekin Falls Dam continues to meet stringent safety criteria that apply to dams in Australia.
Sunwater also recommended raising the dam height by two metres as part of the upgrade to increase storage capacity and support future growth in the region.
For Sunwater, the challenge was to progress a major water infrastructure project through detailed business case development, delivery model selection and procurement planning in a way that supported investment decision-making, market participation and future delivery confidence.
Our approach
RPS prepared the Detailed Business Case, which was progressed under the Queensland Government's Business Case Development Framework and Australian Government requirements.
Following the business case, RPS supported Sunwater to determine the most suitable delivery model and undertake transaction management for procurement of the designer and alliance partners.
RPS worked with Sunwater to further develop the focused alliance procurement model used on the Paradise Dam Improvement Project. For Burdekin Falls Dam, the model was adapted to allow early appointment of a designer and subsequent inclusion of that designer in the alliance once formed.
This approach supported continuity between the reference design used to develop an initial target outturn cost and the final design used to develop the final target outturn cost and deliver the project. It also enabled Sunwater to establish working relationships with the designer and assess performance before entering into the alliance.
The designer procurement process was detailed and structured, helping Sunwater test market capability and understand the designer's ability to perform in an alliance environment.
The result
RPS supported Sunwater through a critical investment planning and transaction phase for one of Queensland's major dam improvement projects.
The engagement helped establish a procurement model that reduced market exclusions, supported wider designer participation and maintained continuity of technical expertise between business case, design and future delivery stages.
Market feedback on the designer procurement process was positive, with the process described as effective and thorough, and useful in assessing a designer's ability to perform in an alliance environment.
The project demonstrates RPS' capability in detailed business case development, delivery model strategy and transaction management for major water infrastructure projects where safety, growth, technical complexity and market engagement must be carefully managed.
