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National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to reflect on our shared histories and relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation. The week is framed by the anniversaries of two significant milestones in our reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 Referendum (27 May) and the High Court Mabo decision (3 June).

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2020 is

‘In This Together’.

MCE’s vision is to see an Australian society which is just and equitable, inclusive and proud of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, cultures and identity. One where Indigenous peoples enjoy the same access to opportunities, health and education as the rest of the Australian community. Looking forward, MCE is committed to knowledge-sharing and collaboration with other businesses seeking to increase their engagement with Indigenous employment.

MCE’s Associate Director Jonathan Richardson was interviewed with other members of Metro West’s LEadership group regarding Metro West’s EIS released this week.

Sydney Metro released The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Metro West project.  The EIS will be on exhibition for eight weeks, closing on 26 June 2020 and, due to COVID19 restrictions, this exhibition period will be the first time any Sydney Metro projects have removed all in-person engagement.

Sydney Metro has taken and innovative approach to overcome the COVID19 restrictions and has, in a very short period of time developed a comprehensive engagement program that uses a range of tools and channels that will provide a comparable or enhanced engagement experience for its’ communities and stakeholders.

MCE is delighted to support this city changing project and congratulates Sydney Metro on this major project milestone.  Jonathan Richardson , MCE Associate Director , leads the Sydney Metro West Engineering, Design and Assurance team and features in Metro’s brand new interactive portal which contains information about the project, what’s on exhibition and an interactive map at: sydneymetro.info/metrowest

This Sunday 8 March 2020 marks International Women’s Day.  Here at MCE, we value the importance of a gender equal workforce and the underlying positive impact it makes to a team’s performance.  Equality is not only a women’s issue; we are all responsible.  By embracing equal opportunity and gender balance in the workplace, it promotes a diverse and inclusive culture enabling more effective collaboration to deliver better outcomes.

This year, to celebrate International Women’s Day 2020, we sat down with our MCE colleagues to find out what #EachforEqual, this year’s campaign theme, means to them.

What #EachforEqual means to Javier
Bringing gender equality to the workplace will allow for greater balance, enhancing diverse thinking to deliver better solutions.

What #EachforEqual means to Jonathan

This year’s theme will be achieved by empowering everybody in the workplace to foster opportunities for everyone else; creating diverse, balanced and high performing teams where all contributions are valued equally.

What #EachforEqual means to Vida

Performance, ethical behaviour, commitment, being supportive and communication skills shows the equality in the workplace, not gender and appearance.  You can measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.

What #EachforEqual means to Orla

Everyone should play their part to promote women, equality, diversity and inclusivity in the workplace, enabling more effective collaboration to deliver better project outcomes.  Success doesn’t come from one individual, but from a successful integrated team who have all experienced different ways of working.

MCE is committed to celebrating women’s achievements whilst continuing to challenge bias in the workplace.  We have a strong focus on encouraging women to join us and frequently attend networking events and conferences that promote women in the industry.

If you are a woman and are struggling to break into the industry, feel free to reach out via info@mce-aus.com

The world-renowned Mardi Gras Parade is a bustling extravaganza that brings Sydney to a standstill and shines a global spotlight on LGBTQI lives, culture, communities, creativity and inclusivity.

This year’s theme is WHAT MATTERS!  The initiative encourages everyone to share what is important to them.  Commencing on 4 February until 1 March, everyone can enjoy a variety of events and entertainment that aim to increase inclusion across all communities and to share in the fun together. Culminating the festival is the parade down Oxford Street on Saturday 29 February, a glittering procession celebrating the colourful collision of creativity and culture  with circa 200 groups and floats participating in an evening showcasing the glitz and glamour of the LGBTQI community.  Don’t miss it!!!

MCE is proud to support the Sydney LGBTQI+ Mardi Gras in 2020.  We remain committed to diversity and inclusion.  We seek people from all backgrounds to join our team, and encourage our employees to bring their authentic, original, and best selves to work.

Why don’t you speak up and show your support?

(Please visit www.mardigras.org.au/program for program details).

To ensure our team maintain their top of class reputation and are up to date with international industry leading technology and processes, we took a closer look at Project 13.  As part of our business’ training program our Leadership Team recently reviewed the Project 13 initiative, to understand how it can be applied locally for local industry and society to reap the benefits.

Project 13 is an industry led initiative launched by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG) to outline and establish a better business model for a high-performing infrastructure delivery, improving productivity and mitigating the skills risk.

Project 13 is NOT a form of contract. It is an approach built on a set of pillars and principles defined to establish an enterprise structure focussed on the outcomes for the end user:

• An Organisation where all parts are aligned and working collaboratively
• A Governance where the value is defined at outcome level and the risk is part of the relationship structure, not being not transferred but managed
• An Integrator that brings together the capabilities into a common working platform to deliver solutions
• A Capable owner interested in the long-term performance and functioning within the delivery team
• A Digital transformation that uses processes, technology and new business models to connect the management and delivery of the enterprise works for a more efficient outcome.

This new approach on the delivery of infrastructure aims to:

• Improve the productivity of the construction industry;
• Deliver sustainable solutions and
• Implement a digital transformation to the industry.

Project 13 integrates functions and relationships between Owners, Integrators, Suppliers and Advisors conforming an enterprise as opposed to the conventional client – supplier simple collaboration arrangement. The more aligned and organised the enterprise becomes better outcomes and benefits for customers from infrastructure investment are delivered.

The industry has started to implement this more efficient way of delivering infrastructure, with projects including:

• Anglian Water’s Capital Delivery Alliances
• Environment Agency’s Next Generation Supplier Arrangements
• Heathrow’s Expansion
• National Grid’s London Power Tunnels Project
• Network Rail Track Alliances
• Sellafield Ltd Programme & Project Partners (PPP) model

Sydney Water has been the first early adopter outside UK and in Australia, who will be the next?

Further information is available here:

http://www.p13.org.uk/

The following video has a useful overview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWNeEHB0Nso

On Friday 13 December, MCE’s Thomas Lee was fortunate enough to be invited to the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) breakthrough at Barangaroo, as part of Sydney Metro’s City & Southwest project.  TBM Nancy broke through just after 10:30 in the morning.  She is the first TBM to reach Barangaroo from Marrickville travelling South to North.  It means that the tunnels are now connected by at least one tunnel from Chatswood in the north to Marrickville in the South.

Thomas didn’t think he would get an opportunity to see this happen, so it was a very welcome early engineering Christmas present for him.

Thomas said, ‘It was really exciting to see TBM Nancy slowly break through the sandstone wall.  A big thanks to the Metro Team for organising and having me on site.’

TBM Nancy is named after transport pioneer Nancy-Bird Walton OBE, who was the Commonwealth’s first female pilot to carry passengers and founder of the Australian Women Pilots’ Association.

MCE is proud to be supporting Sydney Metro on this major project.

From the team here at MCE we would like to wish all our Clients, partners and industry colleagues a Merry Christmas and wish you all health and happiness for the New Year.

As a business, MCE has not sent Christmas Cards for the past 6 years, instead we make a significant donation to our 3 corporate charities Black Dog Institute, Autism Spectrum and The Smith Family.  We believe this is more environmentally sustainable, and will make a more positive impact to our society at this time of year.

For your information, the majority of our team break up this Friday 20 December 2019 and return to work on Monday 6 January 2020.

From all the team may your Christmas season be filled with peace and joy!  We thank you for your continued business and look forward to working with you in 2020.

Tomorrow marks R U OK? Day.  This is a great client led initiative that Management Commercial Engineering (MCE), as proud supporter and corporate sponsor of The Black Dog Institute, fully endorse.

Management Commercial Engineering (MCE) understands the importance of asking the simple question, ‘R U OK?’  We are all dedicated to checking in with each other on a regular basis, not just for R U OK? Day.  You don’t need to be an expert to reach out and help; you can be a colleague, family member or friend, but the important part is to give the time to listen.

This is about looking after our fellow human beings, we are all here doing our best and sometimes circumstances can feel outside of our control, which means anxiety and depression can seed and fester.  Sometimes a coffee, a chat or even a smile is all we need to stop thoughts coming to fruition.

Starting an R U OK? conversation?  Use these four steps:

1. Ask R U OK?
2. Listen
3. Encourage action
4. Check in

To find out more about the great things R U OK? are doing, follow the link.

https://www.ruok.org.au/

You can find out more about The Black Dog Institute and MCE by following the links below.

https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au

https://www.mce-aus.com/company/

It was a pleasure to attend the Institution of Civil Engineers East Asian Regional Strategy Meeting in Kuala Lumpur at the beginning of the month to meet infrastructure and construction industry leaders from Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand and London.

There was extensive discussion on the changing role and definition of a civil engineer; how engineers can influence the efficient delivery of infrastructure internationally.

During the RSM I briefed the group on the Institution’s overall international strategy for growth, further improvements to members services and how we can influence infrastructure delivery in each region.  We all reviewed our current practises and events and aligning our Country strategies identifying opportunities for improvement and growth.

In addition to the RSM, a series of events were arranged to create value for our members and moving the profession forwards.

• We met a variety of members across the region to understand the idiosyncrasies of each country and understand where the Institution can add value to its members.
• Worked with incumbnant Institutions and Associations finding syncrasies and opportunities to work together to improve industry, this included forming agreements with Institution of Malaysian Engineers.
• Introduced the NEC Suite of Contracts to the region describing how the standards enable collaborative working and a structured commercial approach enabling the efficient delivery of major infrastructure.
• Finalised the introduction of our first approved ICE training agreement to the region with Opus International part of UEM Edgenta Malaysia, this will assist the business train and develop rounded professionals to deliver engineering feats and major infrastructure projects.
• Met with government officials and leaders of industry at our first ICE Fellows reception in Malaysia and Brunei.
• We were welcomed to the Bandar Malaysia North MRT Station construction site, we were greeted by the Project Director Satpal Bhogul and his team.  The alignment is 52.2km long, consisting of 38.7km of elevated tracks and 13.5km running through underground tunnels. It will have 35 stations of which 24 are elevated and 11 underground.  The project has adapted world industry best practise and is delivering its program safely on time and budget.  It was great to see the comparisions with work our work on Crossrail and Sydney Metro.
• Technical events were arranged for members in Singapore.
• In Brunei a series of members and fellowship events were arranged and Fellows formally appointed.
• A site visit was arranged to see the construction of the amazing Temburong Bridge,  a 30-kilometre (19-mile) bridge currently under construction in Brunei to connect Mengkubau and Sungai Besar.

I would like to thank Ir Dr Tony Chan for arranging the conference and activities in Malaysia and Bahrin Mohammad for arranging the events in Brunei, Patrick Courtney, Thaban Arumugam, Tim Warren, Anek Kanittanon, Mike Dobie and Kok Hui Heng.