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Projence Profile Providing integrated project management and commercial services to leading companies across a range of industries. December 2020 | Christmas newsletter
Happy Holidays Our community, clients and staff have done remarkable things this year, but the uncertainty of 2020 can really take it out of you. So, if you can, we are encouraging all clients, staff, friends and family to enjoy a break this season and to take the time to reflect, relax and recharge. Relish in the opportunity that we can now safely spend more time with our neighbours, travel to see family and friends and spend time together as a group (except if you’re from Sydney… sorry things change quickly). Projence will close the office from 24 December returning from 4 January. We’ve talked to all our staff and we know they’re ready to say farewell to this year. We hope you’re able to have a nice Christmas holiday. In the past we’ve given our employees and clients a bottle of wine or a fancy widget for Christmas. Last year in lieu of this we donated to Buy Regional - a charity that was particularly in-need during the bushfire troubles. We’ve found that giving to charity resonates more than a personal gift. As such we have adopted the same approach this year donating $2,000 each to Waves of Wellness and Hunter Lifeline on behalf of our staff and clients.
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Delivering excellence. Driving results.
Projence profile
Year in review Gavin Heydon Director
Mitchell Purvis Director
When Gavin first went into isolation after returning from overseas in March, neither of us thought it was a huge deal. We had no idea how big this pandemic was going to be. Three days later, we’d closed the office and suddenly everyone was working from home. Three months in, it was already a striking contrast to what we imagined for 2020. Yet as we reflect over the goals we set for this year, we couldn’t be prouder of what our team has achieved, despite the challenges.
Despite a year of financial challenges throughout the country and world, Projence has maintained a team of 15 employees. We welcomed new clients PWCS, QUBE and NCIG, bringing our client total to 20 and had a number of successful tenders. We have also enjoyed our time in Lambton and are now looking to relocate to a more spacious place. Excitingly, we also joined a number of procurement panels in 2020 for the NSW State Government and Regional Councils.
Of course some things were put on hold at certain parts of the year. We came out of January and February very positive with the pipeline looking good, building from a strong backend of 2019. Luckily, despite the lockdowns in March, most of our projects continued, although from March-May our revenue halved from where we were in the last quarter of 2019. By August things started to feel a little bit more normal; our clients had better clarity around their projects. Then Victoria shut down again, but never-the-less we finally felt like we had enough knowledge and control to operate. Towards September and October, you could feel a cultural change. We knew how to effectively work from home, we were positive, and we had hygiene processes in place. Now we’re all experts in Zoom and Teams, and we can reenact stage four protocols and wear masks if needed. The hard work and infrastructure has been established as a culture, so we can now get on with it.
We’re almost back to where we were in terms of revenue and despite it all, at the end of 2020 our pipeline is looking really strong again. We couldn’t have done it without the entire Projence team. We’re ready for whatever curve balls 2021 may throw. Thanks for sticking with us.
Kinds regards, Gavin Heydon and Mitchell Purvis
Projence profile
Systems rollout We’ve been analysing a lot of our approaches and updating our systems. Those we have finalised over the last several months are now rolling out.
In terms of onboarding, we have refined the way we employ people and also written procedures which cover what happens after each new staff member signs a contract. The same goes in reverse for offboarding - we’re making sure everything is cancelled, all i’s are dotted and t’s crossed when people move on. We’re applying the same process to our products to ensure a smooth and clear method from start to finish. These system rollouts also apply to our in-office safety and environmental procedures. We’re implementing checklists and documentations to ensure all potentially hazardous workplace scenarios are safely covered.
December 2020
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Committee for the Hunter
The Hunter Region has a population of nearly 750,000 with 280,000 people in the workforce and 10 LGAS. Thousands of ships come in and out of the harbour every year. Thousands of researchers work in the region and hundreds of Hunter vineyards regularly produce globally celebrated delicious wine. We have a billion dollar defense industry, 37,000 students at the university and the average home costs half a million dollars. We know this region is incredibly important to the country and yet we’ve observed the Hunter region struggle to have a united voice. Now we’re thrilled to be a new committee member and supporter of the recently formed Committee for the Hunter.
December 2020
Committee for the Hunter is an independent and inclusive advocacy group for the people of the Hunter region and their enterprises. The Committee backs its members and works to provide effective advocacy and thought leadership. It’s a nonpartisan, evidence-based committee improving economic, social, cultural, environmental and creative assets. We’re honored to be a part of, and to contribute to, their government projects or assist with pro bono work when required. With Committee for the Hunter, we have a single united voice we can take to state and federal governments and show we’re here to help.
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Project updates and recent wins Muswellbrook Bridge The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is building two new bridges in Muswellbrook - the Muswellbrook Bridge Replacement Project will be over the Hunter River and Bridge Street. Over the last few months, we’ve been engaged to assist them with the client side site management. Our team has had a long association with this project having helped them through constructability, scoping and risk assessments.
Gunnedah Airport Projence is assisting Gunnedah Council to understand what’s required in upgrading an existing runway’s load capacity. This means our team will complete an analysis of their existing documentation for compliance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) guidelines. We’ll provide a report outlining the scope and project requirements, along with a feasibility study that demonstrates associated budgeting requirements.
NCIG We recently secured a contract to undertake a review of NCIG’s workforce plans, processes and procedures. We’ll be providing recommendations on increasing utilisation and increasing employee fulfillment from a cultural perspective. We’re excited to take this on as we move into 2021.
WSP A2I and S2P We’re happy to be continuing our relationship with WSP into 2021. WSP are an international engineering firm, and we’ll be working with them to provide constructability advice as they work on the Inland Rail with the recent award of the Albury to Illabo (A2I) and Stockinbingal to Parkes (S2P) project.
December 2020
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Staff stories
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Living the values: Grant Wilkinson Each quarter we will identify staff and team members who are living and breathing our Projence core values - trust, diligence, integrity and owning it. This quarter we’re pleased to acknowledge Grant Wilkinson. Grant’s work with us is a great example of owning it.
We’ve witnessed him picking the ball up for two projects Brisbane Fields Rd floodgates DPIE and the QUBE project in Tamworth. He’s taken responsibility and is living and owning the decisions he is making. Thanks for stepping up.
New hire: Riley Smith Riley Smith is a structural engineer and project management professional. Riley has seven years’ experience delivering projects in the infrastructure and education spaces. Before joining us, he worked on several Hunter and Central Coast based infrastructure projects where he led and managed the design, procurement and delivery phases. Riley has excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, and we’re happy to throw him straight into our projects
December 2020
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Projence happening
We recently attended the Hunter Business Chamber event and listened to a robust discussion from National Party delegates on energy policy.
December 2020
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Gavin Heydon 0427 702 204 gavinh@projence.com.au
Mitchell Purvis 0421 558 119 mitchellp@projence.com.au