Case Study

Overview

A “Program of Projects” that lasted a decade and involved the implementation of solutions in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and New Zealand; and the provision of advice to governments in South-East Asia.

These engagements involved the full scope of project services, including writing requirements and specifications for the integrated command and control system operations of all three emergency services, in response to emergency, “triple 0” calls.

We managed every stage of every project through concept and analysis to tender; to detailed design, implementation (build and test), through to post implementation support and maintenance of this complex “system of systems” – to ensure our delivery of a fully functional solution achieved the outcomes we wanted and delivered the benefits our respective Government clients desired.

We were the Program and Project Manager and Leader on these assignments. Each project took two to three years from commencement, to full implementation. Our work on this Program of Projects for Emergency Services achieved outstanding and valuable outcomes for the organisations and the communities they affected.

Further Details

These projects ranged in value from $100m – $300m / project. The Victorian project, a $300m project, was an inter-operable, fully outsourced, build/own/operate arrangement.

We were engaged by the Kenettt Victorian State Government to do a complete design study and tender evaluation for an inter-operable police communications centre in Victoria.

After the successful implementation of the police communications centre, we then implemented for Fire and ultimately Ambulance. In Victoria, we partnered with PriceWaterhouse, who handled the change management components.

The projects entailed the writing of requirements for an integrated response to emergency calls and the integrated operations for all three emergency services, in response to emergency, “triple 0” calls.

We were then the Project Manager and exclusive lead on the project in Queensland (who opted for a lower cost, more self managed solution than in Victoria) and in all rural areas also. We subsequently worked for the South Australian Government, writing requirements and helping with a tender, for all three agencies, for their emergency services solutions.

In New Zealand, we wrote requirements, selected a solution and assisted the government implement a police command and control system; and we gave advice to the Hong Kong Government regarding same.

Milestones & Outcomes

This engagement was a major program of change that drastically affected emergency services in the States in which we provided solutions.

Our company wrote the first specification in Australia for Police, Fire and Ambulance Rescue Emergency response. In Victoria, that specification also took into consideration, Sheriffs, Volunteer Fire Service, SES and City Council – in times of major events.

We managed every stage of every project through concept, to analysis, to tender and into detailed design, with preferred suppliers of the different components (of which there were many) of what was a complex systems of systems; that is, not just one piece of software.

This engagement saw us work in Public Safety for a decade, gaining vast industry knowledge, experience and reputation.
The Program of work had a high degree of inherent complexity, with vastly different components to every system. Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems have very complex interfaces (including geographical information systems) and there were over forty (40) complex interfaces to these control systems, including hazardous chemical databases, mobile data, automatic vehicle location, radio systems, station turnout systems (to open doors in stations) etc.

Our delivery had to ensure that safety critical control systems could work in real time -where timeliness is critical and where the margin for error is very small.

We had to deliver systems consistent with a protocol that needed to stand up to legal scrutiny after the event and meet the stringent audit requirements (for safety critical control systems).

Our work in requirements on critical assignments such as emergency services has refined our approach, the development and maturation of our tools – particularly our I-RV&V service and tools such as BEE – which we see as imperative to building any modern day control system.

Delivery of our solutions changed the face of Emergency Services response in Australia, and met World Orcon standards (e.g. emergency services were now able to respond to a cardiac arrest in under the critical time of six minutes).