Origin Alliance, Ballina Bypass Alliance, New Zealand’s Auckland Motorway Alliance and Victoria’s Barwon Water Alliance are vying for the prized top gong at the Alliancing Association of Australasia’s awards night during its national convention on October 25-26.

AAA acting CEO Ron Quill said the finalists had demonstrated industry ingenuity to deliver complex and critical infrastructure early and on budget.

“This year’s finalists have achieved outstanding outcomes through their superior teamwork and ability to cope with project uncertainties, especially in a market where high quality outcomes are expected within tight budget constraints,” he said.

Origin Alliance delivered one of South-East Queensland’s most complex road projects – at 8km and costing $1.95 billion – six months early.

It finished under budget despite massive challenges, including inundation during the 2011 Brisbane flood that stopped work for nearly four weeks.

The $640 million Ballina Bypass Alliance was set up by the New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services to upgrade 12km of the Pacific Highway.

The project was opened seven months early in November 2011 despite facing significant funding, engineering and construction challenges.

Another finalist, the Auckland Motorway Alliance (AMA), is the New Zealand Transport Agency’s (NZTA’s) first long-term maintenance alliance that will manage and maintain 240km of motorways and state highways in the Auckland region.

Quill said the four-year, $166 million maintenance alliance was seeking new approaches to deliver value through savings, extended asset life, safety benefits and better environmental and social outcomes.

Victoria’s five-year, $380 million Barwon Water Alliance is the fourth finalist — for its work delivering 140 water infrastructure projects for the state’s largest regional urban water corporation in the rapidly growing Geelong and Bellarine region.

This article first appeared in ILN's sister publication ConstructionIndustryNews.net.