Implementing an ambitious recovery and restoration plan in the Northern Rivers

In this success story, we showcase Iceni's successful partnership with Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) in delivering the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative (NRRI). This initiative aimed to facilitate recovery and resilience efforts in the Northern Rivers region after devastating floods.

Client's Challenge

The NRRC, established in mid-2022, faced the daunting task of rapidly expanding its operations and capabilities. With a heavy workload and mounting pressure from both political stakeholders and the community to expedite infrastructure projects, the NRRC needed an external partner with expertise in project management, infrastructure development, budget planning and stakeholder engagement.

Their immediate priorities were to prepare the essential implementation plan for the Federal Government's Tranche 1 projects under the NRRI and to create a deployment strategy for a new program delivery office responsible for overseeing 16 Tranche 1 infrastructure projects.

Our approach

Leveraging our extensive experience in developing implementation plans and assembling a multi-disciplinary team, Iceni crafted a comprehensive implementation plan and program delivery framework for the NRRC. Our process began with a thorough review of a wide range of resources, including past reports, local and regional flood studies, press releases, budget announcements and NRRC's internal data, as well as a CSIRO report that identified and prioritised potential projects.

Engaging with various stakeholders played a vital role in gathering essential insights and perspectives that informed our implementation plan. Throughout this process, we adhered to sound project management principles, encompassing governance, risk assessment, benefits analysis and financial management, to shape the program delivery framework.

Value-adds

Early on, it became clear that developing an implementation plan alone wouldn't suffice to address critical issues and inherent risks within the program. Recognising the extensive impact of NRRI projects on stakeholders and the community's concerns about post-flood recovery progress, we identified the need for a robust and holistic stakeholder engagement plan. This approach received strong support from both the NRRC and its parent entity, the NSW Reconstruction Authority.

Furthermore, we established a two-stage due diligence framework to evaluate future NRRI projects. This framework ensured alignment with the NSW government's assurance processes, planning requirements, place-making considerations and technical feasibility standards. In essence, it aimed to guarantee that NRRI project works would cause no harm, mitigate risks, seize opportunities and fulfill all other prerequisites for successful delivery.

Client outcome

Through a strong collaboration between our project team and the NRRC, we delivered a robust implementation plan, instilling confidence in efficiently using the $150 million NRRI funding for Northern Rivers flood mitigation and reconstruction. Additionally, our project team's expertise in project delivery and program management ensured the creation of a comprehensive framework, jointly developed with NRRC, which will serve as a guiding resource for future NRRI projects and other government initiatives.