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2008 – Year of the Engineering Team

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The challenges of mega projects



PHOTO: At the front of the conference room in Sydney, Steve Davies, NSW location director for engineering services firm WorleyParsons, talks about massive projects.

Completing a "mega project"� or an engineering contract worth more than $2 billion is as stressful as building a company, running it and then shutting it down, according to Steve Davies, NSW location director for engineering services firm WorleyParsons.
But there are financial rewards for those with the skills to run such complex, multidisciplinary projects: "Managers of mega projects at WorleyParsons are paid salaries and bonus arrangements comparable with those in the company's senior management,"� he said.
Davies was speaking at the recent Harricks Address in Sydney which was part of Australian Engineering Week. Comparing mega projects with smaller contracts, he said staff need to be more specialised in mega projects as work tends to be broken down into smaller components. Project managers need to have broader experiences as they need to be "across"� all elements of a project. They need to be politically savvy when dealing with a multicountry workforce, which is common on very large projects.
Due to their size, mega projects tend to be in remote locations which place greater emphasis on health and safety. When working overseas, a thorough understanding of local customs, labour laws, importation and certification requirements and standards is critical.
"We recently redrafted a Russian engineering and procurement contract because the original contract could have made us liable for Russian company tax on millions of dollars of procurement revenue,"� Davies said.
He predicted mega projects would grow more common and encouraged students and graduates to seek out the rewarding and challenging experience they provide.

National agenda needed for space engineering

A single, national coordinating agency for policies related to space engineering and science is needed, according to Anntonette Joseph, the president of the National Space Society of Australia (NSSA).
Joseph, who is also the chair of Young Engineers Australia and a space enthusiast, was speaking at the recent "Parliamentary inquiry into the current state of Australia's space science and industry sector"� in Sydney. The inquiry aimed to report on the current state of Australia's space industry and discuss how it might be strenghthened and expanded.
Joseph said a central national organisation should have the power to direct and lead the space industry rather than be a clearing house for media comments or a repository for general information about space.
This organisation, which could be modelled on the Canadian Space Agency or European Space Agency, would be supported by the federal government and be a single point of contact for people wanting to know the breadth of Australian space research.
At the moment, the NSSA, which is a voluntary not-for-profit organisation, is the only resource for such enquiries. It is a responsibility that gives Joseph a sense of unease.
"When media programs like The 7.30 Report approach us for comment on hard-hitting issues, it is difficult to feel comfortable in responding," she said.
"Our organisation is more appropriate for advocacy rather than setting a national agenda. I do not feel Australia's space image should rest on the shoulders of a 24-year-old president such as myself."
Joseph made three other recommendations. She requested that a central space agency support people wanting to do business in the space industry in Australia, that policies be robust and that public outreach programs be created to stimulate interest in the space industry among school students.

Engineering courses lack indigenous students

Although the mining boom in Western Australia has resulted in more indigenous students enrolling in engineering, this figure is far outstripped by the number of indigenous students that prefer non-engineering courses.
According to the latest figures from the federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 183 indigenous people were studying engineering and related technologies in 2007, compared with 158 in 2006.
But enrolments were up to 10 times higher in other disciplines with 3159 indigenous students studying society and culture, 1994 choosing degrees in education and 1548 opting for health.
Typically, indigenous students take courses in law, education or health because they perceive these disciplines as being more likely to impart skills that could be used to directly benefit their communities, said Marilyn Strother, director of indigenous student services at the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Western Australia.
Another reason why they did not choose engineering in larger numbers was because they may not have done the prerequisite subjects in high school.
In total, there were 9370 indigenous people enrolled in higher education last year.

Ties renewed with UK organisation

Engineers Australia (EA) recently renewed a mutual membership agreement with the UK's Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE).
The agreement promotes exchange of ideas between the two organisations and helps EA members gain additional accredition under IStructE such as chartered status.
The organisations' respective presidents – Julie Hammer of EA and Sarah Buck of IStructE – signed the agreement in Brisbane. This was the first time that both organisations have had female presidents at the same time. Both organisations are also celebrating their centenary year.

Deputy president sought

Engineers Australia is calling for nominations for national deputy president. Eligible candidates are invited to obtain nomination and submission guideline forms by contacting
the executive officer to council on 02 6270 6509 or emailing executivesupport@engineersaustralia.org.au.
Nominations close on 17 October.

Notices

Notice of annual general meeting 2008

Peter Godfrey will be installed as national president at the 88th annual general meeting of Engineers Australia which will be held in the Members Dining Room 2 of the Old Parliament House in Parkes on 20 November. The Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal will also be presented.

Fee changes from October onwards

Engineers Australia has announced changes to the services and fees for chartered status assessment and membership admission which come into effect 1 October. All prices listed exclude GST.
The fee for a chartered status assessment has increased from $400 to $500. This is the first fee increase since 2001 and reflects increased administration and support costs.
The membership admission fee will increase from $40 to $50. First year graduates are exempt from this fee.
Members seeking readmission after a lapse in membership must pay a readmission fee of $50.
A member seeking chartered status reinstatement after a period of more than six months but less than five years, will require a desk-top assessment of competency, equivalent to a CPD audit which will cost $200.
For a full list of conditions, visit the Engineers Australia website.

Witness an ancient ship's last voyage

The College of Mechanical Engineers will run a technical presentation and tour of the ship MV Doulos.
The ship is coming to Australia for the last time before its retirement. At 94 years old, only two years younger than the Titantic, the US-built ship is one of the world's oldest ocean-going passenger vessels.
It also contains one of the world's largest floating bookshops and the chief engineer is an Australian. 
Engineers Australia will hold technical tours when the ship visits Australian ports on the following dates:

• Sydney – 4 September
• Geelong – 16 September
• Albany – early October to be confirmed
• Fremantle – 16 October

Publications

Calendar

Engineering Education Australia will run the following short courses:

• Contract management (2 days) Adelaide 25 Aug, Sydney 8 Sep, Melbourne 15 Sep
• Negotiation skills (2 days) Sydney 26 Aug, Perth 16 Sep
• Process piping design (4 days) Melbourne 26 Aug, Perth 1 Sep
• Writing winning technical documents (2 days) Perth 27 Aug, Adelaide 4 Sep, Brisbane 10 Sep, Melbourne 1 Sep
• Project management (2 days) Adelaide 28 Aug, Adelaide 4 Sep, Sydney 11 Sep, Melbourne 18 Sep
• Fundamentals of project management (1 day) Perth 5 Sep, Adelaide 11 Sep
• Financial management (2 days) Brisbane 8 Sep
• Earthworks (2 days) Perth 11 Sep
• Stormwater management (2 days) Melbourne 11 Sep
• Risk and liability management (2 days) Perth 17 Sep
• Managing self and others (2 days) Hobart 22 Sep
• International trends in managing power quality and voltage dips (2 days) Sydney 24 Sep
• Electrical engineering practice module 3 – protection systems, motor starters and power quality (2 days) Sydney 25 Sep

• Sydney 26 August
• Melbourne 2 September
• Campbell Town, Tasmania 4 September
• Newcastle 9 September
• Brisbane 11 September