Case Study: Regional and Local Roads Repair Program (RLRRP)

• Client: Transport for NSW

• Dates: February 2023 - June 2024

• Program Type: Government Infrastructure

  
  

BACKGROUND

The RLRRP is a $500 million program which includes $280 million to support regional councils and $220 million to support metropolitan councils. This program was created with the intention of:​​ responding to repeated flooding and unprecedented wet weather​, filling the gap in relation to minor works, covering affected roads based on km of local and regional roads​, enabling response to local road repairs​, providing upfront funding​, and reducing administration​ costs.

PMLogic was engaged to manage the metropolitan councils’ compliance and reporting, and to ensure that all funds will be spent to improve road conditions for the communities in the timeframe given.

APPROACH

Our approach in undertaking this process was focused around the PMLogic program framework which are the 5Ps: purpose, people, practices, platforms and performance.

1. Purpose

Numerous workshops were run with the team and subject matter experts to  ensure that the purpose and goals of the program were clearly established and mapped.

2. People

Understanding each stakeholder group’s needs allowed us to develop a program plan that integrated all their wants in a way that was compliant to all relevant standards. Live sessions with councils allowed relationship to be built to assist in successful delivery.

The following were completed during the RLRRP:

• Establishing the team and Team Charter

• Stakeholder Engagement Plan

• Program Engagement Calendar

• 2x in-house visits per council

• Quarterly live Council Sessions

• End-user feedback & case studies

• F2F Program Closure Workshop

Site visits, councils presentations and in-person meetings were held among council representatives, project teams, and the program management team to discuss various topics including scope, procurement, program details, reporting, risks, performance metrics, cost-effectiveness, visual documentation, and miscellaneous agenda items.

3. Practices

The variety of skills in our team allowed for different focus areas to cover all aspects of the program. For example reporting and quality was managed by highly detailed team members that were in communication with councils, whereas our live sessions and workshops were organised by our adoption lead to promote the program. 

What was completed during the RLRRP:

• Program Governance 

• Program Management Plan & Timeline

• Workplan reviews 

• Monthly Progress Report

• Quality Management 

• Risk and Benefits Management

• Lessons Learnt

To ensure high quality and compliance with the deed and guidelines, 2 compliance reviews were conducted:

• Assessment of the planning, execution, and closure of the program against the requirements and statutes defined by the Funding Deed, Grants Administration Guide, RLRRP Program Guidelines, and Transport GS Program Management Handbook

• Development of a Program Management Plan

The risk identification, categorisation, and mitigation process was conducted at monthly workshops at both the PMLogic Program Management Team (internal) and the Program Working Group (TfNSW) levels. The key risks identified are detailed in the Program B-RADICAL (Benefits, Risks, Actions, Decisions, Issues, Change, Assumptions, Lessons) spreadsheet document. 

Similarly, to identify and categorise the benefits and outcomes of the program, periodic workshops were conducted. As a result of the identified benefits, strategies and actions were proposed to capture relevant information from councils and their teams, including: submission of work plans by councils, value for money analysis, and environmental impact surveys.

4. Platforms

Our main software is Microsoft. We used multiple Microsoft applications, including Planner and the SharePoint site, to achieve successful outcomes.

MS Planner was used to keep the team on track with priorities and ensure everything is completed as planned. The assignment of tasks to specific team members and targeted follow up increased accountability.

Quarterly reporting was carried out via Microsoft Forms, utilising TfNSW reporting templates. Reports outlined progress, costs, work locations, and repaired areas up to the reporting date, along with forecasts for upcoming quarters and expected completion dates. Other data such as councils with waste reduction initiatives, councils with environmental plans, councils with material recycling initiatives, and new recruitment across councils was also captured.

A collaborative SharePoint site was created and used as a central information and Q&A hub so that stakeholders have the most up to date information and are always informed. The Sharepoint site had the benefits of:

• Facilitating sharing of updates, case studies, council stories, upcoming events

• Facilitating the upload of supporting documents

• Being a platform for councils to ask questions and collaborate on common needs

5. Performance

Dashboarding is a key way we capture our success and the success of the program. Continually updating the data allows accurate representations to be presented at any time they are requested by stakeholders.

Other tools used for capturing, monitoring and communicating the progress of the RLRRP included:

• S-Curve 

• Value for money using heavy patching

• Reduction in insurance claims 

• Pothole media coverage

• Output Report 

• Evaluation Report 

*Pothole Media Coverage Diagram

OUTCOMES

One of the key positive outcomes to highlight is the outstanding achievement of the program in winning the AIPM PMAA NSW Government project category for 2024! This excellent performance of the program can be attributable to the allocation of funds designated specifically for program management.

Further details on the program management and operational outcomes have been outlined below.

1. Program Management Outcomes

The transferred funds to councils of $215.6 million were fully expended. The value for money heavy patching helped to reduce the cost per sq/m and allowed the program to deliver an average overall cost per sq meter saving of $20.69 and an additional 567,581 sqm of road for heavy patching works.

Additionally, a major deliverable from this program has been the Program Management Handbook which will allow TfNSW to have a guide and benchmark in their current and future programs. The intended use is to share templates and knowledge with less experienced program managers internally in TfNSW so that they are able to successfully manage programs in accordance to TfNSW compliance guidelines.

2. Operational Outcomes

3. Economic Outcomes

The program has also delivered significant economic benefits such as reduction of ongoing maintenance costs, improved road safety, improved environmental and productivity improvements.

From our perspective, we believe that the RLRRP was run effectively, efficiently, and thoroughly. Engagement with Transport for NSW was adequate and productive. Program support from the PMLogic team was excellent. Correspondence and updates were frequent and timely. Technical support from the TfNSW team was excellent and support was always available when required. - Fairfield Council

Council engaged continuously with Transport for NSW and PMLogic throughout the grant process. Communication has been outstanding with clear information provided to Council and support available when needed.  - The Hills Shire Council