CONTRACT SIGNATURE FOR HQJOC PROJECT

The Department of Defence and Praeco Pty Ltd have signed a contract for the construction and operation of the new, state-of-the-art Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) facility to be built near Bungendore, NSW.

The successful conclusion of intensive contract negotiations last week marks another important milestone towards the construction of the new Headquarters facility.

Praeco, a consortium comprising Leighton Contractors Pty Limited and ABN AMRO Australia Limited, was announced as the preferred tenderer on 30 May 2006.

Because this component of the project will be delivered under private financing arrangements, the value of the contract will not be available until after Praeco reaches financial close on 28 July 2006.

The value of the contract will comprise both the capital cost of the buildings and infrastructure for the facility and the cost of providing a range of contracted services such as access control, cleaning, administrative and clerical support and waste removal and maintenance services over the 30 year term. 

Praeco will be required to build, operate and maintain the new headquarters facility for the 30-year contract term. Defence has retained the responsibility for the procurement, installation and maintenance of the command, control, communications, computing and intelligence (C4I) systems for the facility.

The project is on course for Defence staff to commence to occupy the new facility towards the end of 2008, providing Defence with its first fully integrated, strategic and operational level command and control headquarters.

The Member for Eden-Monaro, the Hon Gary Nairn, has been a champion for this project over a long period, and I thank him for his hard work and constructive support.

For more information on the HQJOC Project, go to: http://www.defence.gov.au/id/hqjoc/

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