The Western Australian Institute of Medical Research QEII (now Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research) required a state of the art building of 22 levels to house laboratories, offices & meeting rooms, theatres, an auditorium and roof plant.
Rawlinsons services commenced at concept stage and were maintained through to post contract final account agreement. This prestigious project presented many challenges in the cost planning stage particularly around the significant existing infrastructure in close vicinity to the proposed building footprint. Additionally a lot of in-ground services to existing hospital facilities needed re-direction and diversion. These complexities were worked through by the Rawlinsons team working closely with the services engineers and speaking with local contractors regarding suitable construction methodology. As the project was tight on budget, Rawlinsons were heavily involved with value management to ensure that the budget was not exceeded without reducing the project scope. As the contract was awarded based on 75% tender documentation, Rawlinsons were rigorously involved in cost control during construction to minimise cost variations.
Rawlinsons initial estimate for the project was $107 million, which greatly exceeded the funds available by some $30 million. A revised design was estimated at $77 million and when tendered, the lowest tender of $73 million was accepted. The awarded contract was therefore within 5% of the Pre-Tender Estimate.
During the construction period additional funding allowed additional work to be carried out resulting in a final adjusted contract cost of $85 million.
