The Catchment Management Authorities (CMA) are statutory authorities of the Victorian Government, and their roles and functions are defined in the Catchment and Land Protections Act 1994 and the Water Act 1989. They work with land managers, communities, other organisations, and governments to protect and improve the health and sustainable productivity of their regions.

There are approximately 4,000km of flood mitigation levees in Victoria. Many of the urban and rural levees in northern Victoria were initially constructed through the 19th and 20th Centuries. Since that period significant development has occurred in northern Victorian towns and cities.

The Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy (VFMS) recommends Local Government Authorities are the best level of government to manage most flood mitigation levees of strategic importance to urban areas.

Many of these structures are of strategic value but are vulnerable to failure in flood events due to:

• Structures not being engineered to structural standards and / or engineering data is unavailable.
• Structures towards or beyond effective design or functional life.
• Not being maintained under formal management arrangements

The project seeks an approach that will:

• Put into place a standardised categorisation logic for levees across northern Victoria.
• Review existing data and build information sets where information is missing in defined formats.
• Provide stakeholder confidence in the capability to consistently identify levees by type, function and strategic value.
• Seek to bring high value urban levees under formal management arrangements.
• Generate updated and new emergency management flood information products.

The Goulburn Broken, North East, North Central and Mallee CMA’s require support beyond their own capability / capacity to systematically complete the Strategic Levee Categorisation Project - Northern Victoria. As a result this tender seeks to appoint consultant/s with recognised and proven key personnel and business capability in the provision of Professional Engineering and Related Services (PES) to undertake the project.

Procurement Approach

The participating CMA’s have elected to issue a joint Request for Tender (RfT) to the open market with the objective of each CMA (each Principal) entering into its own PES contract/s, with one or more service provider. The North East Catchment Management Authority will administer the tender process on behalf of all participating CMA’s.

The intended term of the PES contracts will be for two (2) years with an option for an extension of one (1) year by mutual agreement between the individual CMA’s and any appointed consultant/s. Under the terms of this umbrella services contract there is nil commitment to any claim for payment from the Principle (the CMA’s) by the consultant/s.

Each of the four Principals will work with the appointed consultant to develop a number of discrete Work Package Plans (WPP’s) tailored by each CMA to meet its needs on an as and when required basis. Background and a general scope of the work required is provided within Part A.2 - The Specification.

The Consultant will then provide a Cost, Time & Resource (CTR) response to the Principal for acceptance, rejection or agreed refinement. WPP’s may be either Lump Sum, Schedule of Rates of a combination basis dependent upon agreed risk profile of the specific WPP. WPP’s will be executed under the general terms and conditions of Part C – The Contract. An approved WPP will result in a Purchase Order (Purchase Order Contract) being raised to confirm formal acceptance and commitment.

The Consultant will undertake the WPP’s in accordance with the requirements set out in the Contract and any issued Purchase Order.

Objectives

In issuing this RfT, The Principals seek to identify Tenderers who are:

1. Capable of complying with Part B – the Conditions of Participation and able to comply with the provisions for Tendering for Public Construction in the State of Victoria.
2. Capable of supplying the services set out within and complying with Part A.2 - The Specification.
3. Capable of complying with the required terms and conditions of Part C – The Contract.
4. Prospective tenderers experience and knowledge must include the following:

• Experience in the management of water / flood levee / engineering projects related to the services required.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in flood levee design, construction, maintenance, safety and floodplain influence.
• Advanced problem solving including critical analysis of complex flood levee related issues.
• Superior liaison, communication, and presentation skills.
• Experience with, and a strong understanding of the role of the Victorian Catchment Management Authorities, the Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy (2016) and the Regional Floodplain Management Strategy’s.

Briefing Session

A briefing session will be held on 22 February 2024 10:00 am.

Notes: MS Teams online meeting – Registered tenderers will receive an invitation prior to the meeting

Attendance at the briefing is a pre-requisite to submission and consideration of a bid.

Registration closes on 21 February 2024 12:00 pm