Contractors have called on the federal government to create a ratings scheme for infrastructure projects to boost productivity and innovation.
are a common theme on big infrastructure projects, including the Inland Rail, Sydney’s new Metro City and Southwest, and Melbourne’s North East Link.The ACA wants the Commonwealth to set aside $2-$3 million in the upcoming budget to investigate a potential ratings scheme for projects that receive federal funding and what agency should be in charge.
It has estimated a scheme would cost around $5 million a year to implement and has come up with its own ratings idea: the Future Australian Infrastructure Rating .The ACA proposal, which has been discussed with state and federal agencies, suggests that projects aim for a FAIR rating during their development phase.
The agency in charge of managing the ratings scheme would give projects a score after they are finished, based on whether they met targets during construction. “Obviously contractors are very competitive, and they’re going to want to be associated with a high-scoring project,” Mr Davies said, adding a ratings scheme would also make project performance more transparent.“It’s going to provide a greater spotlight on which projects are performing well and efficiently against those that aren’t.”
ACA wants a rating scheme to encourage innovative ideas from contractors rather than specifying exact materials and designs, as well as to promote