Paradise Dam Improvement Project
Sunwater is progressing the Paradise Dam Improvement Project to support dam safety and the long-term performance of critical water infrastructure on the Burnett River.
Paradise Dam is a roller compacted concrete dam completed in 2005. The dam plays an important role in providing water for the region and flood protection for Bundaberg.
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 provide transaction management services, including delivery model strategy and refinement, and preparation of commercial documents for procurement of the constructor non-owner participant to deliver the works with Sunwater and the existing designer.
The challenge
Following severe flood events in 2010, 2011 and 2013, flood repair works and immediate improvement works were required at Paradise Dam, including lowering the dam wall by 5.8 metres.
In December 2021, the Queensland Government announced that Paradise Dam would be returned to its original height as part of significant safety improvement works. This decision followed detailed technical investigations that showed it was possible to safely re-raise, strengthen and stabilise the dam wall.
For Sunwater, the challenge was to progress a sensitive dam safety improvement project through detailed business case development, delivery model refinement and procurement planning. The project required a transaction approach that could test technical expertise, support alliance formation, manage significant unquantifiable risk and maintain market confidence.
Our approach
RPS completed the Detailed Business Case for the project, supporting Sunwater through the investment planning requirements of a complex and sensitive dam improvement program.
Following the business case phase, RPS supported Sunwater with transaction management services. This included delivery model strategy and refinement, market engagement, procurement strategy and preparation of commercial documents for procurement of the constructor non-owner participant.
RPS assisted Sunwater to develop an innovative alliance procurement process known as the Focused Alliance Procurement Model. This augmented partial price procurement model was designed to demonstrate the technical expertise of nominated team members in dam design and construction, observe team leadership qualities, culture and cohesion, and retain an element of price competition through interim cost plans and budget target outturn costs.
The approach also supported faster alliance formation and improved management of high levels of unquantifiable project risk, while giving Sunwater a structured process to assess capability, commercial settings and team behaviours before final procurement decisions.
The result
RPS helped Sunwater progress a critical investment planning and transaction phase for the Paradise Dam Improvement Project.
The Focused Alliance Procurement Model was favourably received by the market, with feedback that the process was effective and efficient without disproportionately increasing time and bid costs to reach the final proposal milestone.
The engagement supported a procurement pathway that balanced technical capability, alliance behaviours, risk management and cost transparency for a complex dam safety improvement project.
The project demonstrates RPS' capability in detailed business case development, procurement strategy and transaction management for major water infrastructure projects where safety, technical complexity, market engagement and delivery confidence must be managed together.
