melbourne water panel delivery framework - victoria

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Melbourne Water operates one of the most complex and critical water and wastewater networks in Australia,  spanning highly regulated assets, legacy infrastructure, sensitive environments, and community expectations. Delivery Partners working within its capital works panel are required to meet not only program and technical outcomes but also the highest standards in safety, stakeholder engagement, and governance.

Midway through a panel term, Melbourne Water challenged its Delivery Partners to significantly improve delivery performance, with a particular focus on elevating safety culture and execution discipline across its diverse program of works.

 Trevor Hall was brought in to reset the delivery cadence and executive rhythm of the panel’s delivery program. His task was to ensure alignment between Melbourne Water’s evolving expectations and the performance of its panel partners, focusing on program accountability, field execution, and safety leadership.

Through structured reviews, strategic workshops and practical intervention, Trevor recalibrated reporting, decision-making cadence, and leadership alignment across the program. This reset positioned the panel for improved predictability, responsiveness, and safety performance.

Following the successful reset, Struan Collins was appointed to lead the delivery of the panel works on an ongoing basis, ensuring that the strategies put in place were implemented consistently across projects and adapted to Melbourne Water’s evolving needs.

“It wasn’t just about hitting milestones, it was about building a rhythm and culture that respected the complexity of the client’s network, while consistently improving safety and delivery outcomes.”
— Trevor Hall

• Rebuilding momentum across a diverse portfolio of water and wastewater assets
• Responding to client feedback on safety performance and delivery discipline
• Managing works across both high-risk and highly sensitive environments
• Aligning multiple delivery teams with a unified cadence and reporting model

•  A new delivery rhythm implemented, ensuring tighter accountability, transparency, and performance oversight
• Safety culture elevated across program delivery teams
• Improved stakeholder trust through clearer communication and disciplined execution
• The panel delivery was regarded as a benchmark for client-partner alignment and continues to operate successfully under the framework established

 T his engagement reflects HCE Advisory’s deep capability in strategic reset, delivery uplift, and client alignment within complex utility frameworks. Trevor’s reset provided the platform for renewed performance, while Struan’s leadership ensured those expectations translated into consistent field outcomes.

Their combined success remains evident today, with the panel continuing to operate as a high-functioning delivery partnership, trusted by one of Victoria’s most demanding infrastructure clients.

The Goulburn-Murray Connections Project was a critical irrigation modernisation initiative for Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW), aimed at securing the long-term water security and efficiency of one of Australia’s most vital agricultural regions. The project had reached a crisis point—delivery had stalled, stakeholder trust had eroded, and the incumbent contractor had been removed.

GMW sought a new delivery partner to drive a full turnaround in performance, program certainty, and regional community confidence.

The Contractor, under the leadership of Trevor Hall and Struan Collins, was engaged to deliver the reset. Trevor was accountable for developing and implementing a compelling strategy that gave GMW the confidence to re-engage and re-energise the delivery effort under a fresh, disciplined framework.

Struan took on operational accountability, ensuring the interface with regional stakeholders was constructive and delivery execution was sharp, safe, and aligned to an aggressive program.

David (also now part of HCE Advisory) played a pivotal role in creating a simplified, user-friendly field instruction manual. This supported the creation of a replicable, best-practice delivery model—essential for scaling the work across geographically dispersed sites with a largely regionally based workforce.

• Re-building client trust after prior contractor failure
• Mobilising rapidly to meet tight seasonal windows for delivery
• Activating and training a regional workforce to deliver against strict KPIs
• Simplifying execution to ensure consistency across multiple worksites
• Delivering tangible community outcomes under intense regional scrutiny

• Full project reset strategy implemented and embraced by the client
• Aggressive KPI regime met or exceeded across program milestones
• Regional workforce activated, trained, and positioned for long-term maintenance annuity roles
• Simplified field delivery tools deployed to streamline construction practices
• Community and stakeholder confidence restored through delivery excellence

The Goulburn-Murray Connections Project stands as a hallmark of HCE Advisory’s DNA: resetting projects, rebuilding trust, and delivering outcomes in the most constrained and community-sensitive environments.

Trevor and Struan’s leadership transformed a project on the brink of failure into a success story with lasting community impact. Their ability to align strategy, operations, and client expectations created a blueprint for high-performance regional project delivery—proving that exceptional results are possible when clarity, execution, and trust come together.

Delivered during one of the most severe droughts in Queensland’s history, the Gibson Island Advanced Water Treatment Plant formed part of an emergency response to Brisbane’s critically low water reserves. The project was a core component of the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme—an ambitious, first-of-its-kind initiative to secure the city’s drinking water supply through advanced water purification technologies.

The community was desperate for a solution, and government stakeholders needed immediate and credible delivery outcomes.

Trevor Hall led the project as the head of the delivery entity for Baulderstone, responsible for the full construction execution of the Gibson Island facility.

Working under extraordinary pressure—with community concern rising, environmental scrutiny intensifying, and timelines compressed—Trevor and his team delivered one of Australia’s first Advanced Water Treatment Plants capable of producing purified recycled water to a standard acceptable for potable reintroduction into the supply system.

“This was a project delivered not just to a schedule, but to a city in crisis. We had to move quickly, lead decisively, and ensure that every solution we delivered built public trust and government confidence.”
— Trevor Hall

• Responding to an unprecedented drought and public urgency
• Navigating Australia’s first regulatory frameworks for recycled water in drinking systems
• Coordinating fast-tracked delivery under intense public and media scrutiny
• Managing integration of high-tech treatment processes never previously constructed at scale in Australia
• Ensuring safety, environmental compliance, and stakeholder engagement throughout

• Successfully delivered on an accelerated timeline as part of a critical state-wide emergency infrastructure response
• Pioneered delivery standards and stakeholder communication protocols for recycled      water infrastructure
• Built a technically complex facility capable of producing Class A+ water to stringent specifications
• Strengthened public and political confidence in alternative water supply technologies

 The Gibson Island project showcased the essential role of decisive, accountable leadership in crisis infrastructure delivery. Trevor’s ability to lead under pressure, coordinate a technically complex build, and foster trust across community and regulatory stakeholders was a defining example of delivery integrity in the face of uncertainty.

It remains a cornerstone example of how HCE Advisory’s leadership and project delivery insight can support infrastructure that matters, especially when timing, trust and technology converge.

The Pimpama Water Treatment Plant upgrade was a critical infrastructure project delivered in one of Australia’s fastest-growing urban corridors—the northern Gold Coast. With rapid population growth placing significant pressure on existing assets, the Client required a major augmentation of the existing facility to meet future demand without any unplanned disruption to ongoing operations.

This was not simply a construction project—it was a live infrastructure upgrade in a highly constrained operational environment, where failure was not an option.

Trevor Hall held full accountability for the business delivering this critical augmentation. From early engagement, Trevor shaped a delivery strategy that aligned with the Client’s non-negotiable requirement: maintain plant operability at all times.

This required not just good planning, but flawless implementation of real-world methodologies developed through lived experience—not theoretical assumptions. Our team focused on embedding precision planning and robust project controls to monitor performance and mitigate risk at every step.

• Major upgrade of a live operational water treatment plant
• Zero tolerance for any uncontrolled impact on ongoing treatment services
• High-growth region driving tight program and scalability pressures
• Required coordination across multidisciplinary teams in a complex brownfield environment
• Elevated reputational risk for both Client and contractor

• Augmentation delivered safely and without disruption to plant operations
• A planning-first approach that combined real-world methodology with detailed staging logic
• Industry-leading project controls implemented to track progress, risk, and live operational interface performance
• Enhanced confidence and trust between contractor and Client, driven by clear alignment on planning assumptions and delivery capability
• Augmentation delivered on budget and within required timeframes, ensuring regional water security

The Pimpama project exemplified how lived experience, not just theoretical planning, delivers outcomes in live operating environments. Trevor’s leadership ensured the augmentation went beyond industry-standard planning—using proven, real-world methods that de-risked the interface with the operational facility.

This project set a new benchmark for delivering complex water infrastructure safely, collaboratively, and with absolute control.

The Amaroo Water Pipeline was a critical infrastructure project commissioned to support Melbourne’s expanding northern growth corridor. Designed to augment the capacity and reliability of water delivery from an existing operational treatment plant, the project required the integration of a new pipeline, delivered in part via tunnel boring machine (TBM) methodology, through environmentally sensitive terrain and established residential areas.

With its dual focus on environmental compliance and integration with existing assets, the project demanded precision planning, stakeholder alignment, and construction excellence.

Trevor Hall led the contractor’s involvement in the Amaroo Water Pipeline, with direct accountability for client interface and strategy execution. He worked collaboratively with the Water Authority to navigate evolving environmental and planning requirements, managing community expectations and ensuring the alignment of delivery with Melbourne’s long-term infrastructure needs.

Trevor was instrumental in establishing early agreement on project objectives, securing necessary regulatory clearances, and guiding the interface between construction and the operational water treatment facility.

His leadership ensured that the tunnelling scope was executed safely, the operational tie-ins were integrated seamlessly, and environmental sensitivities were addressed proactively, delivering a project that stood up to both technical and public scrutiny.

• Navigating evolving environmental conditions and regulatory approvals
• Delivering TBM tunnelling through complex geology and in proximity to sensitive sites
• Integrating with a live operational water treatment plant without service disruption
• Managing risk across planning, approvals, and construction in parallel
• Balancing stakeholder expectations across government, community, and operator groups

• Successful delivery of TBM tunnelling scope without environmental incident
• Seamless tie-in to the existing water treatment plant with zero unplanned outages
• Strengthened relationship with the Water Authority through trusted performance
• Compliance with all environmental and regulatory requirements ahead of schedule 
• Future-proofed pipeline infrastructure supporting Melbourne’s strategic growth corridor

The Amaroo Water Pipeline exemplifies the value HCE Advisory brings to utility infrastructure—where live assets, environmental sensitivities, and high community expectations converge.

Trevor’s leadership in this project showcased the firm’s ability to guide clients through complex interface challenges, balance technical delivery with regulatory compliance, and deliver critical infrastructure that enables long-term regional growth.

It’s this integrated approach, strategy, delivery, and stakeholder confidence, that defines HCE’s impact on essential infrastructure.

In a landmark collaboration between John Holland and Fulton Hogan, the joint venture (FHJHJV) successfully delivered a suite of complex and essential water and wastewater infrastructure projects across New Zealand. These projects spanning Auckland, Christchurch, the Bay of Plenty, and Central Otago demonstrated world, class technical delivery, cross, jurisdictional collaboration, and community impact.

Trevor Hall was accountable for:

• The strategic relationship with the client
• The commercial performance and full P&L accountability for John Holland
• The effective management and evolution of the JV partnership model

Struan Collins provided critical leadership in his role as Operational Lead, overseeing the day, to, day delivery, ensuring:

• The JV structure functioned optimally
• Operational and delivery interfaces between client, JV, and supply chain were seamless
• Delivery standards were consistently aligned to stakeholder expectations across all regions

Hunua 4 Watermain Pipeline – Auckland

• Approx. 25 km of large, diameter steel pipeline
• Crossed the Manukau Harbour, major roads, rail, and urban corridors
• Delivered with trenchless techniques and under live urban conditions
• Awarded the 2017 Watercare Project Award for technical excellence, delivery      performance, and stakeholder engagement

Lyttelton Wastewater Pump Stations – Christchurch

• Upgrade and conversion of three existing pump stations
• Construction of a new terminal pump station
• Enhanced wastewater resilience for a critical growth region

Waiāri Water Supply Scheme – Te Puke, Bay of Plenty

• New intake facility from the Waiāri Stream
• Full treatment plant construction
• Underground pipeline network connecting to Papamoa

Naseby Wastewater Filtration Beds – Central Otago

• Construction of automated, land, based filtration systems
• Replaced creek discharge with a sustainable, community, endorsed alternative

Trevor and Struan worked in lockstep to ensure:

• Strategic and operational alignment between John Holland, Fulton Hogan, and the      client organisations
• A resilient JV governance model, capable of delivering multiple concurrent projects to a high standard
• Continuous performance improvement and stakeholder trust, building throughout the program

• Strengthened John Holland’s position in the New Zealand water and wastewater sector
• Delivered infrastructure with lasting environmental, community and operational benefits
• Created a benchmark JV delivery model for future trans Tasman collaboration
• Demonstrated how strategic leadership (Trevor) and hands, on operational oversight      (Struan) can drive exceptional, scalable outcomes across diverse geographies

“You don’t deliver projects like these without alignment at every level. We focused on clarity of purpose, seamless JV performance, and delivering not just infrastructure, but trust.”
— Trevor Hall

“Our goal was to deliver every project like it was the only one, while managing them like a portfolio. The outcome was unified delivery, and enduring client confidence.”
— Struan Collins

The Murray Bridge Wastewater Treatment Plant project was a strategically significant upgrade to SA Water’s regional infrastructure portfolio. Located in a fast-growing regional community, the project was essential to meeting future capacity needs, improving environmental compliance, and ensuring long-term service reliability.

Delivered during a time when industry capacity in both Victoria and South Australia was heavily constrained, the project demanded exceptional leadership, resource planning, and a deep understanding of the realities of regional construction and community expectations.

Trevor Hall, as the Executive accountable for the business line, played a pivotal role in securing the project and establishing the delivery strategy in close collaboration with the client. Recognising the regional delivery limitations, Trevor focused on aligning the client’s expectations with a realistic and resource-efficient delivery model—while maintaining an unwavering focus on outcomes.

Struan Collins was operationally accountable for the project’s successful delivery. His leadership ensured that the right teams and resources were mobilised under living-away-from-home conditions, balancing workforce wellbeing with productivity in a demanding regional context. His ability to lead from the front, navigate logistical complexities, and build trust with the client and local stakeholders was critical to the project’s success.

•  Delivering a technically complex project in a regional setting with limited local capacity
• Competing for workforce and resources during peak industry workload in VIC and SA
• Managing living-away-from-home conditions while maintaining team morale and performance
• Meeting high expectations from a cost-conscious regional client
• Ensuring environmental compliance and integration with existing network operations

• Project delivered to program and budget, despite industry resource constraints
• High-performing site culture sustained under remote conditions
• Strong client relationship built on transparency, responsiveness, and delivery certainty
• Environmental compliance standards exceeded and community impact minimised
• Client expressed significant satisfaction with both the outcome and delivery approach

The Murray Bridge WWTP is a hallmark example of how regional delivery success requires more than technical capability—it requires empathy, strategy, and leadership.

Trevor’s foresight in aligning business capacity with client needs, paired with Struan’s ability to deliver under pressure in a regional environment, underscores HCE Advisory’s expertise in unlocking value in the most challenging of delivery contexts.

This project remains a blueprint for how to plan, resource, and execute infrastructure upgrades in regional communities—without compromising on performance or outcomes.

Toowoomba Regional Council identified a critical need to increase wastewater treatment capacity at its Wetalla facility to support the region’s rapid population growth. More than just a plant upgrade, the Council sought to pilot a visionary solution—transforming biosolids, a by-product of the treatment process, into a source of commercial value.

The project required more than engineering; it demanded innovation, alignment, and belief in the potential for a breakthrough model.

As the lead contractor within an alliance model, Trevor Hall played a pivotal role in shaping the vision and securing alignment between Council, alliance partners, and the broader delivery team. Trevor assembled a hand-picked team to co-create a compelling value proposition—one that would meet immediate infrastructure needs while piloting a first-of-its-kind biosolids strategy.

Under Trevor’s leadership, the alliance model was harnessed to its full potential: open collaboration, shared risk, and innovation beyond conventional delivery.

•  Urgent need to augment wastewater capacity in a live operational environment
• Aligning multiple stakeholders around a non-traditional biosolids reuse model
• Designing, testing, and implementing new technology with limited precedent
• Balancing innovation with regulatory, environmental, and commercial compliance
• Delivering safely and efficiently in a regional setting with constrained market capacity

• On-time, on-budget augmentation of the Wetalla Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Piloted an industry-leading biosolids recovery process that delivered commercial and environmental benefits
• Replaced a traditional waste-disposal model with a circular economy approach
• Elevated Toowoomba as a national leader in sustainable wastewater innovation
• Delivered through a high-functioning alliance, achieving alignment, transparency, and performance

The Wetalla Alliance stands as a flagship example of infrastructure serving a broader purpose. Trevor’s leadership translated the client’s ambition into a working model that turned waste into opportunity, commercially, environmentally, and socially.

This project reflects HCE Advisory’s proven capability to activate innovation, optimise outcomes, and build trust-based alliances that leave lasting impact.

Located on the Mornington Peninsula, the Boneo Wastewater Treatment Plant plays a critical role in supporting both the resident population and the dramatic seasonal influx associated with Victoria’s peak holiday period. Facing capacity limitations and compliance pressure, the facility required a fast-tracked upgrade to address urgent treatment demands and futureproof services for the region.

The project scope included a substantial increase in treatment capacity, integration with existing infrastructure, and the introduction of more sustainable processing systems—delivered under constrained timelines, within a live operational environment.

Trevor Hall led the strategy and project pursuit on behalf of the contractor, securing the work in a competitive environment by aligning closely with the client's urgent needs and broader operational goals.

Beyond successful project award, Trevor championed a pioneering workforce strategy: implementing a five-day working week across the project to support mental health, wellbeing, and sustainable performance. This approach was a major cultural shift in the industry at the time, delivering better retention, morale, and productivity—without compromising program outcomes.

His leadership also ensured robust stakeholder engagement with the plant operator, local government, and community—managing interface risks and ensuring transparency around the environmental and operational impacts of construction.

• Urgent need to expand capacity at one of Melbourne Water’s busiest regional facilities
• Navigating a competitive tender environment and differentiating on value and culture
• Delivering upgrades within an operational wastewater facility under live flow conditions
• Coordinating multiple disciplines and specialist subcontractors under tight timelines
• Introducing and sustaining a cultural shift to a five-day working week for all site teams

•  Project secured and delivered on an accelerated program, meeting seasonal demand drivers
•  Industry-leading five-day work week strategy implemented with measurable wellbeing benefits
•  No unplanned service disruptions during tie-in and commissioning phases
•  Recognition by the client for proactive and collaborative project leadership
•  Delivered step-change in cultural norms around construction work-life balance

The Boneo WWTP Upgrade stands as a landmark project in balancing urgency, complexity, and humanity.

Trevor’s leadership not only delivered a technically successful outcome under intense time pressure—it also reshaped the way infrastructure projects can be led, showing that workforce wellbeing and high performance are not mutually exclusive.

This project continues to inform HCE Advisory’s approach to team culture, delivery strategy, and building resilient partnerships with public sector clients.

The National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout represented one of the most ambitious infrastructure programs in Australian history, tasked with connecting the entire nation to high, speed internet. For delivery partners, the scale, speed, and complexity of execution posed significant logistical and operational challenges, particularly across a vast and decentralised geographic footprint.

One of the major delivery partners, Visionstream, encountered escalating delivery risk, client tension, and misalignment around program success, triggering the need for a comprehensive strategic reset.

Trevor Hall was brought in with full accountability for the national reset of Visionstream’s NBN projects. His mandate was clear: understand the true root causes of delivery complexity, rebuild trust with the client, and reposition the business for performance and value.

Trevor led a structured, high, impact turnaround—starting with a national diagnostic, followed by realignment with the client on the definition of success, rebuilding internal confidence, and setting a clear, measurable delivery cadence across all states.

“We needed to move from confusion to clarity, from firefighting to focus. That meant redefining what success looked like and then giving every part of the business the rhythm and accountability to deliver it.”
— Trevor Hall

• Complex national logistics spanning urban, regional, and remote locations across all states
• Fragmented definition of success between client and delivery partner
• Operational inconsistencies, reporting gaps, and misaligned leadership
• High reputational exposure in a politically sensitive infrastructure environment

• National reset of NBN delivery program implemented across all states and territories
• Delivery cadence established with a clear, structured reporting and performance model
• Re-engaged the client around a shared definition of success and delivery value
• Rebuilt internal operating confidence and alignment across project teams
• Enabled the business to demonstrate uplifted performance, contributing to a significant increase in valuation and successful sale to private equity 

 This NBN turnaround reinforced Trevor’s strength in large, scale program recovery, commercial realignment, and national delivery strategy. His leadership created both immediate operational stability and long, term enterprise value—laying the foundation for a strategic exit and capital event.

Today, this experience informs HCE Advisory’s approach to national delivery models, performance turnarounds, and investor, focused transformation across infrastructure and telecommunications sectors.

As mobile connectivity demand accelerated across Australia, Optus initiated a national program to deliver its 3G mobile network—one of the largest telecommunications infrastructure rollouts in the country at the time. The project involved thousands of sites, complex regulatory and land access conditions, and strict performance metrics for coverage, uptime, and integration.

Trevor Hall was appointed to lead the national 3G rollout on behalf of the delivery contractor, with responsibility for full program performance, stakeholder coordination, and operational delivery across urban and regional sites. His leadership was instrumental in delivering a program of this scale with consistency, safety, and commercial discipline—ensuring client satisfaction in a dynamic, high, expectation environment.

Through this sustained performance, Trevor played a pivotal role in positioning the contractor as Optus’s trusted partner—ultimately securing the continuation of the relationship into the next phase of mobile infrastructure: the 4G network rollout.

“Telco delivery is about consistency, reliability, and building the kind of trust that makes you the first call when the next wave begins.”
— Trevor Hall

• High, volume site rollout across geographically dispersed locations
• Tight scheduling requirements with interdependent milestones
• Navigating property access, council approvals, and utility interfaces
• Managing subcontractors and supply chains in a performance, critical environment
• Building long, term trust in a competitive telecommunications delivery market

• Successful national delivery of 3G mobile infrastructure with consistent performance      across all states
• Maintained high service levels, delivery reliability, and client satisfaction
• Strengthened operational models and delivery frameworks across telecom programs
• Positioned the contractor as the preferred delivery partner for Optus’s 4G rollout,      leveraging trust and delivery continuity into the next generation of infrastructure

Trevor’s leadership of the Optus 3G rollout exemplifies the value of operational consistency, scalable systems, and client relationship depth. The ability to deliver high, volume infrastructure at scale—and evolve with the client’s needs—reflects the core principles that now shape HCE Advisory’s telecom and digital infrastructure advisory services.

This engagement remains a reference point for long, term, performance, led partnerships that grow over multiple technology cycles.