The Kempsey-Armidale Road is an important corridor, which links Armidale and the coast, supporting the local community, agriculture, and tourism industries in both the Armidale and Kempsey regions. The road was severely damaged in consecutive natural disasters including bushfires in 2019, and floods in 2020 and 2022.

The Kempsey-Armidale Road Restoration Project (the Project) is a significant infrastructure initiative aimed at rehabilitating and restoring sections of the Kempsey-Armidale Road damaged from these natural disasters.

To assist in bringing the Project to market, industry participants will be invited to participate in a Market Sounding Process (MSP). The MSP is intended to seek feedback from industry and has the following objectives:

• gauge market appetite, capacity and capability specifically to deliver the Project.

• more generally, seek views on procurement approaches and timeframes for the Project; and

• identification of risks and opportunities.

The process of undertaking the MSP is in line with the NSW Government’s 10 Point Plan. Specifically, the MSP aims to:

• use early market engagement to elicit industry’s views on the best choice of procurement pathway for the Project;

• seek industry’s views on any areas in which value for public money and industry sustainability could most readily be improved through risk-sharing; and

• work with industry to identify collaborative approaches across agencies and projects to manage and reduce utility-related risks.

Council is looking for opportunities to meet Government objectives, minimise impact on customers, achieve efficiency in delivery, utilise a wide segment of market in response to the competition for resources and minimise overall Project cost. To achieve these objectives the MSP will consist of the following activities:

• Advertising, registration, and establishment of eligibility to participate in the MSP starting on 23 July 2024.

• Eligible industry partners (Participants) accessing the MSP ARC Vendor Panel page for the purposes of reviewing project documentation.

• Optional development and lodgment of submissions by registered industry partners which addresses Council’s MSP questions.

• Selected registered industry partners invited to attend a Council-facilitated interactive session in a confidential environment.