In 2020 Q H & M Birt won the Infrastructure Partnership Australia Award for Contractor Excellence, for our Telecom Tower to Archer River Project.
Telecom Tower to Archer River pave and seal project was delivered as the last of 18 projects as a part of the Cape York Region Package, which aimed to facilitate economic growth in the Cape York Region by upgrading key roads and infrastructure to better connect local communities to training, employment and economic opportunities.
The project saw over 6,000 hours of employment and training for 14 local indigenous people, as well as $3.7 million in contracts for local Indigenous businesses. The project also ensured preservation of very large boulders of cultural significance to the area and local traditional owners, as well as installation of a rest stop to enable visitors to appreciate the site.
The judges shortlisted the Telecom Tower to Archer river Project in recognition of the contractors engagement with local indigenous communities before and during construction. The delivery of the project was managed with sensitivity and consideration to preserving the important cultural heritage of the area.
“The Superintendent considers that the performance of QH and M Birt as a whole is above what is considered to be current industry standards. QH and M Birt are a well-resourced Contractor with staff that possess the required level of technical skills and are cognisant with TMR Technical Standards. The approach to safety was always maintained at a high standard. The proactivity, productivity, performance and ethos of QH and M Birt has directly contributed to the success of the project The Superintendent and his team would be happy to undertake similar projects with QH and M Birt in the future.”
D.E.S. “We were impressed that the high standard observed on recent previous inspections has continued to be raised in terms of awareness, preparation, and the cost-effectiveness of such methods. There is no doubt that the project demonstrates Best Practice, as it has the highest standard yet observed by the author on any major construction project with very little room for improvement.”
Q H & M Birt have populated this project with a capable and professional project team, who have conducted the works to date in a cooperative, conscientious and professional manner. Their key personnel have demonstrated a detailed understanding of the relevant project specifications and contract requirements including the extensive environmental requirements, given the sensitive nature of the surrounding area and their workmanship is of a high standard.
This project has not been without its challenges and I can say that to date Q H & M Birt have approached obstacle in a flexible, collaborative and cooperative manner with the view to mitigating adverse impacts and with the best interests of the project group at heart.”
“I am writing to thank you and your employees for the results achieved on the TSFE2 tailings dam project at Cannington. The project has been a well-advertised success story across South32, and ranks as one of the better executed projects undertaken at the Cannington Mine over the past decade.
We are particularly proud of the fact that the project achieved an exceptional safety record, was delivered on time, within the allocated budget and was constructed to a high standard. This result is testament to the attitude, professionalism and experience demonstrated by all members of your organization. Of particular note, the contributions of Steve Schuh, Chris Marriot and Shaun Clarke were of a very high standard and provided the type of leadership required to produce the results achieved. I would fight to
have them back at Cannington given the chance in the future.
I would be delighted to invite QH&M Birt to participate again in any future construction projects within South32 and thank you for your contribution to our business.”
Initial clear and grub works at Torro commenced in March 2017, with 1.8 million m3 of top soil stripping and 2 million m3 of embankment fill being completed since then over both day and night operations.
Works on the North Cell of Torro were completed in June 2018 enabling Operations to conduct top soil stripping activities over the past few months.
With the embankment works in the South Cell now also complete, the 800ha facility will be ready to accept tailings for the first time in early October. Tailings will be deposited in the South Cell soon after the first water (around 24million litres) is processed through the Beneficiation Plant in the coming weeks.
The performance by QH&M Birt team has been exceptional, with the team delivering this major package of works with a good safety record to date, and an excellent attention to detail.
Please join us in congratulating the entire Bulk Earthworks team. We look forward to celebrating this achievement with them in the very near future.
“I was the Project Manager responsible for the award and delivery of the Rosedale Tailings Dam Stage 2 Construction Project, at CMOC – Northparkes Mines in NSW. The Contract for this project was awarded on the 1st of December 2018 and had a date for practical completion of fhe 13th of August 2019.
When we awarded the contract to Q H & M Birt we knew that they had never worked for Northparkes and were somewhat nervous about their ability to mobilise to a brand new site. It was therefore extremely pleasing for us to observe that their mobilisation of personnel, plant and equipment was seamless and well-managed, with works on-site commencing in accordance with the schedule.
In terms of the execution of the works, Q H & M Birt delivered value at every opportunity. They took a collaborative and proactive approach with respect to contract changes and were always forthcoming with cost-saving initiatives and improvement suggestions and it was this approach that ultimately resulted in the works being delivered under budget and a month early.
Q H & M Birt’s management team were professional, knowledgeable and courteous and they fostered a healthy and productive relationship with the Northparkes client Management team. Q H & M Birt demonstrated a strong commitment to HSE including visible field leadership and it was as a result of this commitment that they were able to deliver the project without significant incident or injury.
The quality of Q H & M Birt’s work on the Rosedale Tailings project was also outstanding. Overall it is fair to say that Q H & M Birt delivered on or exceeded expectations and I would not hesitate to engage them on any project in the future.”
“Of the 1,166 compaction and moisture compliance tests undertaken on TSF13 embankment/key trench fill, we only had 9 NCR’s which equates to 99.3% of tests undertaken were within specifications. 8 of the 9 NCR’s related to compaction/moisture occurred during Stage 1 of the project which shows we were learning from the non-conformances and improving our construction method as we progressed through the project. Similarly with the material quality testing, of the total 317 material tests conducted on the embankment/key trench fill we had 9 NCR’s which equates to 97.6% of material tests passing. All 9 of these NCRs were in Stage 1 of the project.
Throughout the project I was very impressed with the Qbirt operators involvement and duty of care when it came to quality, at least one of the operators on each of the work fronts would have a demarcation plan and knew when testing was to be conducted. Also if any unsuitable material was encountered in the borrow or on the fill, they did not hesitate to call up and let us know. The involvement of the field crew in quality was instrumental to the overall quality of the project. The % passing is a direct reflection of the hard work and due diligence of the project team.
It was pleasure working with you on TSF13 and hope we can carry this standard of quality to TSF18.”
We are a delivery oriented Contractor with more than 40 years of experience in the Construction Industry. We provide the professionalism and services of a Tier 1 Contractor, with the competitiveness and intimacy of a family-owned business.