The ARA held the first meeting of the National Management Plan Working Group last week to:
- Help procurers better understand contractors’ challenges in developing management plans when tendering;
- Help contractors better understand the use of management plans by procurers;
- Review management plans and content;
- Determine opportunities to streamline processes;
- Identify mechanism to validate accreditation and provide assurances.
This follows a roundtable held on 9 October with rail infrastructure contractors and government rail infrastructure procurement agencies to discuss opportunities to address inefficiencies around management plans.
It proposed the establishment of a national working group to investigate opportunities to streamline management plans during rail project tenders to better manage cost and resource implications. The working group will identify areas where a more harmonised approach to the management plans could be pursued, and develop a work program to progress this where it is practical and efficient to do so.