Consortium chosen for $852m Bunbury project

A consortium including Spanish-owned ACCIONA has been named the preferred proponent to complete major works on Western Australia’s largest transport infrastructure project.

If contracted, the Southwest Connex Alliance will build a 27 kilometre free-flowing highway linking Forrest Highway to Bussell Highway, known as the $852 million Bunbury Outer Ring Road project.

The Alliance comprises ACCIONA and ASX-listed contractors NRW Holdings and MACA, as well as AECOM and Aurecon.

It was chosen ahead of a consortium led by CPB Contractors, which had long dominated the Western Australian infrastructure market with major projects including the billion-dollar Gateway WA and NorthLink WA projects.

More recently, CPB Contractors secured works under an alliance-style contract to complete the Yanchep Rail Extension and Thornlie-Cockburn Link projects, as part of Perth’s Metronet program.

In April, ACCIONA – through its Coleman Rail subsidiary – secured major works on the $253 million Bayswater train station upgrade, beating a rival bid from a consortium that included Perth-based Georgiou Group and Lendlease.

Earlier this week, Coleman Rail was awarded a $50 million contract to build a rail freight facility in Kenwick.

The Bunbury Outer Ring Road project is fully funded by the state and federal governments, and is set to provide a safer and more efficient road system for the South West region.

If contracted, the Southwest Alliance will also build rail and river crossings, and 20 kilometres of new and upgraded roads.

The overall project is expected to take three and a half years to complete, as well as provide 5,000 jobs.

NRW Holdings, which is a 40 per cent partner in the Alliance, expects a contract to be awarded in September.

Managing director Jules Pemberton said the company's recent acquisition of BGC Contracting had enhanced NRW's capability in large construction projects.

"This announcement marks a significant milestone in NRW’s strategic evolution to an Australian Tier 1 contractor status and specifically our desire to build a large delivery capability across the government infrastructure works sector," he said.

NRW's shares closed up 8 per cent on the news to trade at $1.84.