Alan Pollard: Civil Contractors NZ CEO on the Government's planned review of the City Rail Link's cost

City Rail Link cost concerns are re-igniting calls for a shake up to the way we approach infrastructure.

The project's former boss Sean Sweeney claims the build could've been completed at half the estimated $5.5 billion.

It sparked Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop to announce a full review of the project after it's opened later this year.

Civil Contractors New Zealand CEO Alan Pollard told Mike Hosking Sweeney's views line up with broader over-spending concerns.

He says we have a tendency to favour bespoke design, whereas having a catalogue of standard designs would be much more efficient.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Just as it's about to open ironing of ironies the
government's order to full review into the cost of the CRL.
Of course, former BOS Shaun Sweeny yesterday said belatedly could
have been built for half the price. Final bill is
going to be five and a half billion. Ellen Pollard's
the chief executive of civil contractors in this country, is
with us morning. Mike is Sweeney generally right about the
CRL and projects of the size we don't scope them properly,

(00:20):
priced them properly, or do them properly.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, I can't really comment specifically on CNL, but broadly
as comments around infrastructure something that we support. You know,
we've been arguing a long time that we need to
make sure obviously the projects a lot of value for money,
but there's a lot of things that impact on that,
right back from the consenting stage. For example, Infraculture Commission
talks about consent and cost being over billion dollars a year,

(00:47):
right through designs. We have a tendency in New Zealand
to bespoke design everything that we do, whereas actually having
a catalog of designs that we can use with much
more efficient and the fact that Erica Standford and the
ducation portfolio. They've cut the cost of castrooms in half.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
That seems to be the global We're not the global story,
the local star story, which is the school thing. Why
given that we know this don't we apply it?

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, that's a very good question, and it's something we
are pushing a lot with our clients. I mean, we
argue very strongly for what we call early contractor engagement.
So because our contractors they know the stuff, they are
delivering their experts and doing it, we understand the practical
side of it. If you've got contractors involved right up
front pre design, then what it ended up with when

(01:36):
our view is a much better outcome, much better value
for money unless we work required.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Okay, the government would tell us the ROMA is helping
some of that consenting stuff. You've answered the design question.
What about the other issue of long term political support,
the Singapore style of doing things. In other words, you
buy into this and doesn't matter what the government, you stick.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
With it a lot. We strongly support that, and certainly
as part of our election expectations this year is much
greater bipartisan approach to infrastructure. The de Infrastructure Commissioners come
up with a thirty year strategy, which we strongly support.
But we just can't afford to have this the cancel
culture happening every time the government changes.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
So are we at the point, as it fear to suggest, Ellen,
that we know what the issues are. We are capable
of fixing them. It's just a matter of actually doing it.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
And I believe so. I think the answers are in
front of us. But it's going to take a collective
approach to actually make this happen. We're all interested in
developing the best possible infrastructure, are the best value for money.
All of us had great ideas about how we can
do that. We've got to pull all those ideas together.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Yes, we do have a good weekend, Ellen Pollard Civil Contractors.
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