Watpac has been appointed as the managing contractor by the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP) for Stage 1 of the two-stage, AUD170m ($128.3m) Rheinmetall Defence Australia Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (Milvehcoe) at the Redbank Motorway Estate site in Ipswich, Queensland.
The contract has been awarded following the downselect announcement by the Commonwealth of Australia of the $5.2bn Land 400 Phase 2 project to Rheinmetall for the delivery of 211 BOXER combat reconnaissance vehicles to the Australian Defence Force.
Rheinmetall will design, develop, manufacture and sustain the 8x8 armoured vehicles at the Milvehcoe facility, along with the sustainment of more than 2,500 high mobility logistics trucks currently being delivered to the Australian Army under the Land 1213B programme.
The Milvehcoe facility will include a production and warehouse building, RME building, administration building and associated infrastructure, including car parking, hard standing, services connection and landscaping.
Watpac will work with the department and the design team to finalise design development and the master programme across the site.
Watpac managing director Martin Monro said: “Watpac has exceptional capability in delivering large-scale construction projects with works currently underway on the AUD250m ($188.8m) North Queensland Stadium in Townsville and AUD350m ($264.3m) Herston Quarter Redevelopment in Brisbane.”
Watpac Construction Queensland/Northern Territory state manager Drew Brockhurst said that the company was looking forward to working with local businesses across the project, which is expected to support 300 workers annually over the two-year build.
Brockhurst said: “We’ve built a solid record when it comes to engaging with local trades and suppliers as a priority for our projects and we are committed to creating opportunities for local businesses to be involved in delivering the Milvehcoe facility.
“We look forward to working with DSDMIP over the coming months to finalise Stage 1.”
Watpac is involved in major construction projects across the country, including the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre near Kempsey on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast, Sydney’s Ryde Garden residential development, Melbourne’s Casey Hospital Expansion, and the Kodo development in Adelaide.
