Construction of the Mindyarra Rail Maintenance Facility continues to be a stimulus for the region’s economy, with Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders excited to announce another local firm has been awarded a contract to work on the project.
Concrete World will supply reinforcing steel associated with concrete works at the site, having been part of one of the tender writing workshops held in conjunction with the project in 2019.
Mr Saunders said one of the key priorities of the project is to ensure local companies and their employees get access to work and this contract, worth approximately $1 million, shows that commitment is being met.
“When this project was first announced it was referred to as the Regional Rail Maintenance Facility, and I have always maintained that the ‘regional’ component of that name is important,” he said.
“By using local businesses we keep local people in work, and I believe the work our companies do is just as good as anything that can be done by out-of-towners.
“Concrete World’s contract is part of a larger package that was divided into smaller packages to ensure local businesses were provided opportunities. While the contract is to supply reinforced steel, the fact that the team is based in Dubbo means they also have the ability to produce concrete to top up short orders with a quick turnaround.”
Concrete World owner Troy Paton said more than a quarter of his 18 staff are involved on the Mindyarra Project.
“From a business perspective we had to step up to be in the mix for the Mindyarra contract and, as a small business, to beat the multinationals for this contract shows me we’re heading in the right direction,” he said.
“We have 18 staff and five of them are working on this project, and they also gain confidence knowing that we have the capability to do these big jobs.
“It’s also a foot in the door for us to get other contracts, and other companies and contractors have already started making enquiries because we’ve been awarded this contract and they know we can do this level of work.”