By Kylie Yates, CEO, CCF NSW.
The 2025 In Motion Pipeline event with Transport for NSW this week showed how far we’ve come, and how much more there is to do.
Our members have always attended Transport briefings, but until recently the smaller, decision-shaping conversations were almost exclusively for Tier 1 contractors and consultants. That’s changed. Over the past two years, CCF NSW members have been in the breakout rooms where the big calls are made, and this year we were on the main stage with Transport and other industry peaks. It’s a clear sign that growing influence is opening doors to better access for our members.
Western Sydney Pipeline – Small Wins, Big Questions
The $5 billion Western Sydney pipeline brought another small win. Transport has listened to our advocacy and pulled some early works into Construct Only packages. That’s progress, but most of the work remains in large Design & Construct (D&C) packages. With government talking up local procurement, the question remains: who will actually build western Sydney, and when will local contractors get the chance to work close to home? We’ll keep pressing the case.
Transport’s Restructure Hampers Efforts
All this is playing out against a major Transport restructure, with around 900 jobs to go. Fewer experienced staff and tighter timeframes mean an increasingly heavy reliance on D&C contracts, pushing design, cost, and risk onto contractors with the biggest balance sheets. Most members can’t tender for these as head contractors, and those who do face tough terms, heavy-handed administration, and red tape on steroids. We’ve said this isn’t sustainable for either Transport or industry.
Improving Contract Terms
Following the above concerns about the current D&C contracts, one of the more constructive parts of the day was a breakout workshop on improving Transport’s D&C terms, prompted by advocacy from both Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors through ACA and CCF NSW. Many of our members were in that discussion, and the ideas that came out of it are now heading back to Transport and Treasury, with CCF NSW keeping up the pressure to see them implemented.
Opportunities in Maintenance Projects
Another bright spot was the growth in maintenance and recovery/resilience works. Spending is set to rise into the billions over the next few years, with project sizes well suited to many members. We’ve been pushing to have this work clearly listed on the pipeline portal so members can plan for it, and there’s movement in the right direction.
Productivity, Policy and Risk
I joined Transport’s Commercial Director Ken Reynolds, ACA’s Jon Davies, and Consult Australia’s Jonathan Cartledge on the main stage to discuss procurement and productivity from an industry-wide perspective.
On behalf of members I expressed industry’s observation (and, often, frustration) that about half of Transport’s tender criteria are non-price, including requirements for apprentices, Aboriginal participation, environmental outcomes, and now the culture standard. These are all important, but they’re not productivity-enhancing measures. Without weighting for each, meeting all these requirements well doesn’t allow for a lowest-price, most cost-efficient bid. If the lowest price still wins every tender, we hit a bizarre productivity paradox where industry gets blamed for poor productivity while procurement is used to deliver social policy outcomes. My message was priorities need to be clear for each job.
Of course, we also discussed risk allocation, still the biggest differentiator in tender pricing. With input costs largely the same, the real difference in pricing is how much risk a contractor is asked to take on, and that can go very pear shaped for all parties. We stressed the need for Transport to accept appropriate risks and to adopt the principle that risk should sits with the party best placed to manage it.
Final Takeaway
My other takeaway? Our members are no longer just in the audience, we’re in the conversations that shape how Transport works with industry. Two years ago, we weren’t in these rooms. Now, CCF NSW members have a seat at the table and direct access to a key government client that is a natural partner to civil. It’s progress worth recognising, because our members say it’s often in those side conversations where real change begins. We’ll keep building on that momentum.
View the reports launched at the InMotion 2025 event here.