RP Infrastructure

Blacktown City Council (BCC) identified in its strategic planning a need to upgrade its existing Animal Holding Facility (AHF). The current AHF was built in the 1970s and is no longer meeting current standards nor the growing expectations of BCC and the community.

The Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre (BARC), located on the edge of Eastern Creek within the Western Sydney Parklands, will provide a new facility for BCC to care for animals, and a place for the community to visit and adopt pets.

Project Overview

The new purpose-built state-of-the-art BARC will be the largest building of its type in the Southern Hemisphere; a single centre for domestic animal welfare in Western Sydney, housing 135 dog kennels and 230 cat homes.

It will be modern, eco-friendly, welcoming and spacious and is based on best practice for animal holding and rehoming. In addition to the kennels and cattery it will provide a large reception and adoption area, staff rooms, vet facilities, function space, and exercise yards. Designed by Sam Crawford Architects (SCA), the facility is intended to improve efficiency of animal assessments, reduce holding times, increase adoption rates and decrease euthanasia rates by providing each animal with the maximum opportunity to rehabilitate and be adopted into the community.

RP Infrastructure (RPI), SCA and the design team are working in close collaboration with BCC to ensure the building provides a high level of amenity for both animals and humans, including staff, volunteers and the community. A key challenge for the design is to change the public’s perception of animal shelters by designing a community-centric building which increases community acceptance and adoption of impounded animals.

Our Role

RPI is currently providing project management services for the design and delivery of the BARC project, having been engaged in early design development. We are responsible for managing the design development process for tender on a Construct Only contract. This includes design management and procurement of consultants on the client’s behalf; maintaining overall progress in accordance with approved programs and budgets; achieving authority approvals including an amended REF; and undertaking necessary consultation, engagement and design reviews and approvals. RP generate the monthly PCG report, agenda and minutes, and report on progress, deliverables, time, cost, quality and risk.

RPI will manage the procurement of the main works under a two-stage tender process, seeking EOI’s and managing a select tender process of shortlisted contractors to BCC, whilst also managing an early works package. RPI will act as the Superintendent’s Representative as agent to BCC for construction of both the early and main works and administer the contract to ensure cost, time, quality and WHS objectives are achieved.

Key Challenge

The BARC initially commenced in 2015, with various iterations of the proposed design and Business Case prior to RP’s engagement. To ensure a coordinated and accountable approach, and that project outcomes, requirements, cost and program are aligned with stakeholders’ objectives, RP initiated and have continually facilitated consultation between BCC, user representatives, key stakeholders and the design consultants.

Image credits: Blacktown City Council and Sam Crawford Architects