Project background
The Edinburgh tram is a £600m, 25km on-street light rail scheme being developed, procured and built in phases. The council owned project management company responsible for the development of the scheme needed a Project Director to take over and manage the project through the critical procurement stage for Phase 1a of the project. It was recognised that specialised skills were required that were not available in-house.
The client
Transport Initiatives Edinburgh Limited (tie Ltd) is a Council owned project company set up to deliver the Tram and other transport schemes in Edinburgh. Key stakeholders included Transport Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council, Lothian Buses and the Scottish Government.
Our role
Leading interim Project Director role reporting to the Executive Chairman and the Project Board and sub committees.
- Management of a team of 90 direct/ indirect staff, contractors and operator
- P&L responsibility for a 2007/8 project budget
- management of project programme
- procurement of turnkey infrastructure and tram contracts
- management of a major design contract with Parsons Brinkerhoff
- management of a multi utilities framework contract with Alfred McAlpine
- management of other smaller advance works contracts
- land assembly and acquisition
- management of business case development and final acceptance
Responsibility was through established Board structures and Governance processes.
Team/Partners
The role was undertaken by Matthew Crosse.
- Role from: January 2007 to April 2008
- Financial Close date: 15 May 2008
- Opening phase 1a: July 2011
- Project closed within 2% of capital budget provision contained within original draft business case estimates.
- Sustaining risk balance and business case objectives and requirements.
- Successful delivery of procurement strategy involving a complex 3-way novation.
- Negotiated opening dates scheduled to be within 4 months of original business case estimates (despite protracted uncertainties of elections).
- Two critical independent audits and gateway reviews (OGC and Audit Scotland) gave resounding endorsement of management approach, budget, programme and risk provisions.
- Scottish elections threatened the future of the project.
- Novation of extant design contract and separate tram supply contracts.
- Affordability constraints resulting from the business case changes to funding responsibilities.
- Critical parallel design decisions affected schedule.
- Political sensitivities during commencement of on-street works.
- Multi-stakeholder governance arrangements.
- Development of a strong senior management team
- Advancement of original project strategy
- Development of team ethos and working arrangements
- Development of a strong commercial and negotiating strategy