Company Profile

Brief Company History

Mark Carew Engineering Services (MCES) has operated since 1998, however since 2019 has focused on providing independent bid management and engineering consulting services to road and rail infrastructure Public Private Partnership (PPP) Projects utilising the skills and experience of its directors Mark Carew and Susan Carew

PPP involvement History

MCES personnel have long history of involvement in transport infrastructure PPP Projects particularly related to the operations and maintenance (O&M) component of such Projects. PPP Projects have some very distinct defining features that differentiate them from straightforward construction and O&M projects, particularly in the area of O&M. Risk transfer to the private sector is particularly apparent in the requirement to operate and maintain a PPP asset over an extended period (usually 25-30 years) with the requirement to preserve asset condition throughout the life, therefore including a lifecycle and end-of -contract handover responsibility to meet detailed and pre-defined residual life requirements.

MCES personnel have been involved in the following road and rail PPP Projects:

  • Airport Line Rail (originally known as New Southern Rail) in a hands on operations and maintenance role

  • Lane Cove Tunnel in a hands on operations and maintenance role, including working with the constructor throughout the Design and Construction Phase to incorporated suitable operability and maintainability aspects into the asset design

  • CityLink Motorway Operations Management Committee (ManCom)

  • EastLink Motorway Alliance Management Committee

  • Peninsula Link Motorway Bid Director for the O&M component

  • East West Link Motorway and Tunnel Estimating Manager for the O&M component

  • WestConnex Motorway Bid Manager for the O&M components

  • NorthConnex Tunnel Submission Manager for the O&M component

  • Victorian Suburban Roads Upgrade Bid Manager for the O&M component

  • North East Link Motorway and Tunnel Bid Estimating Manager for the O&M component

  • Inland Rail PPP Gowrie to Kagaru, Queensland: Bid Estimating Manager for the O&M component

Company Skills and Experience

Bid management, bid estimating O&M advice based on hands on experience

Personnel Roles, Skills and Experience

Mark Carew – Principal Engineer and Business Development Manager

Unrivalled experience in PPP O&M across all aspects of operations, maintenance, asset owner and asset regulator liaison, bid management and estimation management.

Provides:

  • Direct technical expertise relating to O&M and direct liaison with MCES clients

Susan Carew – Technical Support, Financial Modelling Support and Company Administration

Excel modelling skills, technical report writing, technical review, document management

Provides:

  • Excel modelling expertise to technical support and check the Estimating Model requires as part of the overall (Excel) Financial Model that is the key component of the bid submission process

  • Report writing and review

Unique Aspects of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)

Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are a form of infrastructure procurement between the public and private sectors to deliver public infrastructure projects and related services. Defining characteristic are the arrangement whereby public infrastructure assets are delivered using private sector finance, with risk transfer to the private sector and high levels of integrated delivery including:

  • Design and Construction

  • Operations and Maintenance

  • Financing: the outcome of the PPP bidding process is a complex (Excel) Financial model that incorporates components of financing, design and construction pricing, operations and maintenance pricing, asset lifecycle pricing

  • Handback to the public sector after a pre-contracted period (usually 25-30 years post-construction – the concession period) while meeting strict performance requirements, resulting in the preservation of asset condition throughout the asset’s life.

Operations and Maintenance Unique Requirements

The Operations and Maintenance component of PPPs have some particularly unique requirements that significantly differentiate the tendering and pricing of the O&M component from routine tendering and pricing including:

  • The significant risk transfer to the Operator and Maintainer over the life of the PPP timeframe

  • The extended time period (25-30 years) over which a fixed O&M price must be offered

  • The responsibility for asset renewal over 25-30 years requires a detailed knowledge of asset system lifecycles

  • The ongoing Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and end of concession handover requirements demand a detailed knowledge of how the asset is operated and maintained in order to provide a risk adjusted price at tender phase that is valid for up to 30 years post construction.

The Market is Small

The market for Operators and Maintainers with both the skills, financial strength and the credibility to take on the O&M component of PPPs is extremely small. The list below includes the handful of companies that have bid on, operated and maintained transport infrastructure PPP Projects

Broadspectrum, successor company to Transfield Services: Airport Line, Sydney; Lane Cove Tunnel, Sydney; EastLink Freeway, Melbourne; Western Roads Upgrade, Melbourne

Lendlease Services, successor to Bilfinger Berger Services, - M2 Motorway, Sydney; M7 Motorway Joint Venture Sydney; Peninsula Link, Melbourne; East West Link, Melbourne; North East Link, Melbourne;

Ventia, successor to Leighton Services: Eastern Distributor, Sydney; M7 Motorway Joint Venture Sydney, Suburban Roads Upgrade, Melbourne