2017-11-13 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                    13 NOVEMBER 2017


2.    Design
The capacity of the Design Services section is not keeping pace and delivering designs for the
Capital Works Program. This is impacting on Council’s ability to deliver the current Capital
Works Program and to provide ‘shovel ready’ designs in a timely manner for future years.
With the ongoing development of Council’s 10 year Capital Works Program and Asset
Management Plans, the demand for additional design resources continues to increase. The
resourcing of the Design Services section is critical to the delivery of identified and emerging
projects in the Capital Works Program.
Currently, Design Services are delivered through a combination of four in-house designers and
two project coordinators, supplemented by the use of external design consultants. Under the
current delivery model, a large volume of design work is outsourced to consultants, however, this
approach to delivery comes at a cost; managing and checking the design to ensure that Noosa’s
quality and design standards are being met.
A report was presented to Council on 8 November 2016 which recommended an increase of two
fulltime equivalent (FTE) staff, in the Infrastructure Planning, Design and Delivery Branch.
Following a review of current workloads 12 months on, and considering the future demands on
the team, it has been identified that additional resources will be required to provide support in
delivering Council’s ongoing Capital Works Program.
The Design Services review considered how resources can be employed to assist with the
delivery of designs for the current program and to meet delivery targets for future years. It
concluded that one Designer Capital Works and one Project Coordinator would be required, as a
minimum, to assist with delivering designs and create greater in-house expertise and flexibility.
These additional technical positions would be allocated to the Infrastructure Planning, Design
and Delivery Branch in order to increase the volume of outsourced design work and to project
manage external design consultants. It is considered that these two fulltime equivalent positions
(2 FTE), should be three year fixed term positions to assist with creating a build-up of ‘shovel
ready’ design projects ahead of the Capital Works Program. The table below details the
proposed additions and changes to the positions within the Infrastructure Planning, Design and
Delivery Branch. In addition to this table the current and proposed organisational structure for the
Infrastructure Planning, Design and Delivery Branch is provided at Attachment 2 to this report.
Position Title         Broad Role                           Current Status        Recommended       Level
                       (in respect to project delivery)                           Status
Designer     Capital   Provide planning and design          New position          3 year contract   Level 5
Works                  services within the Infrastructure                         position
                       Planning, Design & Delivery Branch
Project Officer        Provide    project  management       New position          3 year contract   Level 5
                       services and guidance across                               position
                       Council departments
Designer     Capital   Provide planning and design          3-year Fixed          Permanent FTE     Level 5
Works                  services within the Infrastructure   Term position.
                       Planning, Design and Delivery        (Position currently
                       Branch                               occupied)

Project Officer        Provide    project  management       3-year Fixed          Permanent FTE     Level 6
                       services and guidance across         Term position.
                       Council departments                  (Position currently
                                                            occupied)
Project Coordinator    Manage flooding projects, coastal    Technical             Permanent FTE     Level 6
Flooding, Coastal      foreshores, rivers, canals and       Officer Coastal       Level 6
and Foreshore          associated Council infrastructure    and Foreshores
                                                            Permanent FTE
                                                            Level 5

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