Project Background:
The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley has the highest single flood exposure in NSW, if not Australia. Due to the unique landscape of this highly populated region, floods in the valley pose a significant potential risk to people’s lives, livelihoods and property.

In May 2017, the NSW Government released the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Risk Management Strategy (Flood Strategy) to reduce the risks to life, property and the community from regional flooding in the valley now and into the future. This long-term strategy, comprising a range of infrastructure and non-infrastructure actions, is being implemented by the NSW Government with local councils, businesses and the community.

The cornerstone of the Flood Strategy is the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam around 14 metres for flood mitigation. This would mitigate floods through the temporary storage and controlled release of floodwaters from the large Warragamba Catchment.

WaterNSW, as the owner operator of Warragamba Dam is undertaking further site investigations, preparing a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement, and developing a detailed concept design and project cost estimation for the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam for flood mitigation. This will inform a final Business Case for NSW government consideration, subject to all planning and environmental approvals under both NSW and Australian Government legislation.

WaterNSW is now seeking constructability advice in parallel with developing the detailed concept design to reduce the known risk profile and verify the project costing and program for a possible future construction phase of the project.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is invited from Proponents with design and construct capability with experience in major infrastructure projects involving dam construction.

Interested parties should satisfy themselves that they meet the minimum mandatory criteria below in order to register and participate in the RFP process.

Mandatory criteria:
* Legal entity to operate as a business in Australia under Commonwealth Corporations Act (2001)
* Demonstrate the financial capacity of respondent to deliver an infrastructure project of value greater than $500m.
* Demonstrated design and construct capability with experience in major infrastructure projects involving dam construction.
* All management systems (work health and safety, environmental, quality and work place relations management) accredited against Federal and State criteria.
* Attending the mandatory RFP briefing.
* WaterNSW intends to shortlist a minimum of two (2) ‘Proponents’ to participate in the ECI stage as described above.
* It must be noted that the further continuation of the Proposal to raise Warragamba Dam for flood mitigation is entirely dependent upon NSW Government approval of a final business case subject to all planning and environmental approval and any/or conditions of approval. Accordingly, WaterNSW does not guarantee that Proponents that are engaged to provide the ECI services would be awarded all or any part of any future construction phase.