Project Scheduling in Canberra

Project scheduling services for Canberra projects

We develop tender programs with the contract baseline in mind, carrying the bid’s logic and assumptions forward and recording agreed changes after award, then keep the program current through delivery.

• Tender programs: sequence, procurement windows, Indirects and resource demand, prepared for the tender submission with the Basis of Schedule and Methodology.

• Baseline programs: the agreed reference program established in accordance with the contract, with subsequent baseline changes controlled and recorded.

• Program updates: actual progress and remaining-work forecasts recorded in the current program, compared with the baseline, with variance reporting and an archived record of each update.

• Shutdown and turnaround planning: outage programs planned in hours, with the critical path, resourcing and methodology for work on operating plant.

• Schedule recovery: a recovery program built from actual progress, with options tested, costed and agreed with the delivery team.

• Schedule risk analysis: completion dates at chosen confidence levels, with contingency sized from the analysis.

• Forensic delay analysis: extension of time and delay claims built on contemporaneous project records.

ACT project experience

Our capability draws on ACT project experience including:

• Canberra Light Rail: delay claim work, built on the project’s contemporaneous program and records

That work informs how we program ACT projects: transport works delivered through an operating city, multiple government stakeholders, and a contemporaneous record kept from the first program so delay can be assessed on evidence.

Government engagement

Project Scheduling was appointed to the ACT Government’s Infrastructure Canberra Specialist Advisors Panel.

ACT conditions built into the program

• Approval responsibilities mapped before sequencing. We check whether each part of the works falls within a Designated Area, the Parliamentary Zone or the ACT planning system, and where approvals overlap, the program shows their dependencies, including parliamentary scheduling where applicable.

• Heritage identified early. Many Canberra sites carry ACT or Commonwealth heritage values. We identify them at the start so the applicable heritage steps are programmed before the works they control.

• Specialist trades sourced from interstate. RLB reports that some ACT specialist trades are at or near capacity, increasing reliance on interstate resources. Where a package depends on interstate crews or suppliers, we show their mobilisation lead times, travel and availability as separate assumptions, confirmed with the delivery team, rather than assuming local capacity.

• Cold-weather work and territory calendars. Canberra winters bring frosts and cold mornings that affect concrete placement, curing, coatings and early starts on outdoor work. The ACT has its own public holidays, including Canberra Day and Reconciliation Day. We record the working-hour and placement assumptions agreed with the delivery team, and keep separate calendars where site crews, interstate suppliers and approval activities work to different availability.

ACT project pipeline

The ACT Infrastructure Investment Program forecasts $7.5 billion over the five years to 2030-31, including $1.1 billion in 2026-27.

What the pipeline means for a Canberra program

• Competition for skilled labour is intense. RLB’s September 2026 report describes competition for skilled labour and specialist subcontractors as intense across the ACT market, with limited availability in building, civil and building services trades. Tender participation is generally healthy, but pricing reflects workload certainty and resource availability.

• Tender prices are forecast to keep rising. RLB forecasts Canberra tender price escalation of 4.7% in 2026, 4.8% in 2027, 4.3% in 2028 and 4.0% in 2029, supported by ACT Government and Commonwealth-funded pipelines in healthcare, security, education and transport.

• Major projects are progressing. RLB notes the Northside Hospital and Light Rail Stage 2A among the major projects progressing.

• Labour is short nationally. Infrastructure Australia’s November 2025 report estimated a shortage of 141,000 workers on public infrastructure works in October 2025, forecast to peak above 300,000 in mid-2027.

Where pricing depends on workload certainty, a clear program and stable dates can affect bidder interest. We make procurement and resource assumptions explicit and identify when subcontractor, crew and supplier availability needs confirming.

ACT approvals in the program

Canberra projects can involve overlapping ACT and Commonwealth requirements. We establish the applicable planning authority for each part of the works, including National Capital Authority Works Approval in Designated Areas, which applies in place of ACT development approval, and additional approval by both Houses of Parliament where required for works in the Parliamentary Zone. The scope of works requiring approval and the mapped boundaries are confirmed with the project’s advisers. The program models each applicable pathway and its dependencies, from submissions and assessment to parliamentary scheduling and final decisions, rather than treating each approval as an independent milestone.

For ACT heritage places, we distinguish works requiring development approval from any applicable exempt-development pathway, and identify the heritage documentation and Heritage Council consideration required. Early heritage advice is scheduled separately from formal decisions. Commonwealth environmental and heritage requirements are checked separately: depending on the land, the proponent and the potential impacts, the project may require EPBC referral, assessment or approval, and may also carry specific Commonwealth heritage obligations. We establish the applicable steps with the project’s planning, environmental and heritage advisers and link the relevant submissions, decisions and conditions to the design, procurement and construction they control. Our article on scheduling project approvals explains the method.

Frequently asked questions

Do you provide project scheduling for Canberra projects?

Yes. We provide Primavera P6 project scheduling for transport, government and infrastructure projects in Canberra and across the ACT, from tender and baseline programs through progress updates, recovery and delay analysis.

How do you handle National Capital Authority and parliamentary approvals?

We confirm which authority applies to each part of the works, including National Capital Authority Works Approval in Designated Areas and additional parliamentary approval where required in the Parliamentary Zone, then model each pathway and its dependencies with the project’s advisers.

How do you program heritage requirements in Canberra?

We identify ACT and Commonwealth heritage values at the start, distinguish advice and documentation from formal decisions, and link each applicable step to the works it controls, working with the project’s heritage advisers.

Can you work to Canberra hours?

Yes. We work Canberra time for Canberra projects, including progress meetings, tender deadlines and program submissions.