From left to right: Amanda Dwight – MBB – Procurement Lead, Ella Darroch – Port of Melbourne – Senior Legal Counsel, Warwick Laing – Port of Melbourne – Head of Maritime Operations, Mattijs Siebinga – Boskalis International – Director Area Middle (Africa, Black & Caspian Sea) , Craig Faulkner – Port of Melbourne – Executive General Manager, David Jardine – Ashurst – Partner, Daren Korwa – Port of Melbourne – Dredging Manager, Thomas Robertson – Ashurst – Graduate, Ben Cranley – Ashurst – Lawyer and Alwin van den Bosch – Boskalis Australia – General Manager.

The contract was awarded to Boskalis Australia following a competitive multi-stage procurement process facilitated by the MBB team.

The ongoing dredging works are a critical component in ensuring safe use and access to the Port of Melbourne. The works are designed to remove the accumulated silt and sediment which reduces the depth and width of shipping channels. These works mean commercial shipping continues to have safe, easy access to harbours and the Port itself.

MBB Group was thrilled to work with a highly engaged Port of Melbourne team to develop a bespoke, fit for purpose procurement strategy and multi-stage procurement process.

The 12-year contract was developed under a collaborative framework. MBB’s Transaction specialist helped develop and facilitate an interactive procurement process. This included an early market briefing session, an Expression of Interest phase, a Request for Tender phase and contract finalisation. In particular, MBB’s interim submission process allowed for tenderers to submit contract departures and receive feedback prior to the tender due date, greatly improving efficiency and quality of contract negotiations, fostering collaboration between the parties. With extensive expertise in collaborative procurement, including D&C models, MBB has supported clients with transaction, commercial, program and project management services, successfully delivering projects across all industry segments.