The North Western Program Alliance (NWPA), comprises the Level Crossing Removal Project, Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM), John Holland (JH) and Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR).

Sustainable Procurement Policy

Procuring for a sustainable future

The Alliance is committed to achieving excellent economic, community and environmental outcomes during the project. Sustainable procurement drives positive economic and community outcomes, while providing a benefit to the environment through reduced resource usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Objective

• To create positive environmental and social impacts associated with the procurement requirements of the project.
• To set commitments and targets for the project procurement process.

Commitments

1. Providing opportunities for local businesses to participate in the project delivery. The Alliance will:
   • Develop and implement a local (Australia and New Zealand) content strategy that establishes the framework for meeting or exceeding local content targets in accordance with Victorian Industry Participation Policy Act 2003, including:
     • Develop a Local Industry Development Plan (LIDP) that establishes a strategy to use local content and specifies proposed percentages for each of the contestable items identified by Industry Capability Network Victoria (ICN).
     • Commit to using 100% Australian-made steel.
2. Facilitating economic prosperity and development and engendering a resilient local workforce. The Alliance will:
   • Identify and implement workforce initiatives that provide for the utilisation of new workplace skills and contribute to relevant sectoral, state and national targets.
   • Utilise Victorian registered apprentices, Victorian registered trainees or engineering cadets for at least 10% of the contract works’ total estimated deemed hours in accordance with the Major Projects Skills Guarantee.
   • Ensure that a minimum of 3% of the overall spend on goods, services and training is devoted to social procurement.
   • Ensure that at least 2.5% of the contact works’ total labour hours are undertaken by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island employees.
   • The project provides a range of training programs for our direct employees to improve workforce skills and capability including:
     • Project Induction
     • Foundations of Health Safety and Environment
       • Global Mandatory Requirements (GMR) - Safety & Environment 1-11
       • Rail Mandatory Requirements (RMRs)
     • Rail Essentials
     • Industry Competency Certificate Training
     • Apprentice and Trainee programs
     • National Graduate program
     • Supervisor and Leadership Development
     • Safety training
     • Cultural Awareness
   • Establish the Info and Jobs Hub to support workforce development and social procurement objectives.
   • Develop and optimise employment and training opportunities for economically and socially disadvantaged individuals during construction.
3. Considering environmental, social and economic aspects in the procurement process. The Alliance will:
   • Assess the program using the Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating scheme and target a strong performance for the scheme’s procurement credits.
   • Request suppliers provide details of their environmental and sustainability policies and implementation during the tender phase.
   • Evaluate tenders received through consideration of sustainability (including environmental, social and economic) aspects using a multi-criteria analysis.
   • Aim to procure products that have positive environmental and social impacts where possible.
   • Where possible procure products that have recognised environmental labels or are from sustainable supply chains.
   • Where possible energy, materials and water consumption will be minimised, improving efficiency.

Stephen Shaddock
Alliance General Manager
September 2021

Sustainability Policy

Our commitment

NWPA is committed to integrating economic prosperity, social progress, and environmental benefit as balanced priorities into decision-making at every level of the business and throughout the project lifecycle. We aspire to create long-term value for the communities in which we work.

Our approach

NWPA will deliver projects that achieve a great social, environmental and economic legacy which supports the objectives of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. We are adopting a strategic and resilient approach to address and mitigate the existing and emerging sustainability challenges for the rail infrastructure environment and our local communities.

Sustainability policy in practice

To effectively implement this policy, NWPA will:

• Govern for sustainability by implementing project systems and processes to ensure the effective and efficient delivery and operation of our projects
• Integrate economic, social, environmental and governance considerations into decision making, and seek to achieve positive outcomes in each
• Create a sense of place for communities by providing well-designed stations and precincts that are comfortable, accessible, safe and attractive
• Make a positive and meaningful contribution to community health and wellbeing by genuinely engaging with the community and project stakeholders
• Build resilient infrastructure which is future-proofed and prepared for the challenges presented by climate change
• Manage resources efficiently through embedding energy, water and material saving initiatives into our project design, construction and operation
• Manage our impacts to protect the natural environment wherever possible, while seeking opportunities to enhance ecological value within our works
• Enhance workforce health and wellbeing, inclusion and diversity, and skills and training through professional development and employee empowerment
• Demonstrate commitment to sustainable and ethical procurement, including prioritising local industry participation, social procurement and avoiding modern slavery
• Encourage innovation within our projects and supply chain to achieve sustainable outcomes
• Measure and report the sustainability performance of the project.

Colm O’Neill
Alliance General Manager
North Western Program Alliance
June 2024