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Seven million dollars savings

Mornington Peninsula Shire Council in Victoria has just signed what is believed to be the largest Local Government contract let in Victoria to date.

The contract worth $48 million over five years was won by Transfield Maintenance for Council's Physical Infrastructure Maintenance Service (PIMS). PIMS covers road and drainage maintenance, parks, gardens, open space and building maintenance.

"Council could not ignore the very significant $7 million savings," said Chief Executive Officer Warwick Dilley. "This decision is in line with our objective to provide the community with the best, most efficient, value for money maintenance service available."

Transfield is a wholly Australian owned company and according to John Bennie, Group Manager Service Planning, will provide the Shire with a quality service. He noted that the Company has a huge resource base and uses an approach of continuous improvement and innovation.

"The Company will be based on the Peninsula and become an integral part of the community," he said. "This combined with their experience and expertise should ensure a seamless transition in maintenance operations for the Shire."

Now three months into the contract, Council has received many positive comments from residents about Transfield's performance and speed of response. While the decision to contract out meant a loss of some internal jobs, some employees have subsequently been reemployed by Transfield.

Council assisted with an integrated program enabling redundant workers to plan their futures, in both career and financial management, as well as providing redundancy packages.

For further information contact Noel Brown, telephone (03) 5986 0268.

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