QUEENSLAND TENNIS CENTRE DELIVERED ON TIME FOR INAUGURAL BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

The Queensland Tennis Centre was constructed by Mirvac as part of their premium residential precinct on the banks of the Brisbane River, Tennyson Reach. Tennyson Reach is an 11ha site 5km south of the Brisbane CBD. Mirvac won the development rights for the State-owned land which included accountability to deliver the State Tennis Centre at minimal cost to the Queensland community.

The Queensland Government and Mirvac jointly engaged Ranbury’s services as the independent certifier on the project.

We worked closely with all parties to ensure Mirvac complied with their contract obligations, construction of facilities met specified requirements, and to validate quality assurance and certification procedures and outcomes. A key challenge for the $82M project was achieving practical completion in time for preparation for the first-ever Brisbane International tennis tournament.

The state of the art facility features:

• 23 International (Tennis Federation) standard courts including all three Grand Slam surfaces – acrylic hard courts, clay courts and grass courts
• An under-cover Centre Court arena seating 5,500 patrons, now known as the Pat Rafter Arena
• Two under-cover show courts
• A glazed and air-conditioned multi-function space for junior coaching in non-event periods and a media workroom during events
• Enclosed and air-conditioned players’ lounge and corporate lounge
• Public amenities including café, pro-shop, and change rooms

Ranbury, as Independent Certifier, undertook a complete review of the Development Agreement and related documents, in order to develop an extensive Independent Certifier (IC) Plan.  The IC Plan acted as a dynamic tool to progressively monitor performance over time. It included everything from

schedule submissions, deliverables, ITPs, samples, insurances and milestones to defining actions to ensure adherence to notice periods.

The IC Plan also outlined strategies to enable real time dispute resolution, maintained a focus on practical completion for ease of handover, and required a detailed regular report from the contractor.

We were able to certify the project as practically completed in time for preparation of the Brisbane International, which went on to be crowned as the 2009 Queensland Sport Event of the Year at the 15th Annual Queensland Sports Awards.