Case Study – Oran Park
As Australia’s leading retail construction company and an award-winning builder, Mainbrace Constructions was delighted to be appointed under an ECI contract the $100 million expansion of the Oran Park Podium shopping centre. This exciting project continues the strong relationship between Greenfields and Mainbrace.
What is ECI in retail construction?
ECI refers to early contractor involvement (and is sometimes also known as early contractor engagement). This approach to the retail construction process optimises the building journey from concept to completion. It involves involvement from the building contractor from the outset to collaborate with the owner, project manager, and architects to ensure the best outcomes. It also enables wider consideration of design optimisation, buildability and costs. This approach to the construction process supports improved planning, innovation, communication and teamwork between all relevant parties.
The Oran Park Podium Project
We were appointed by our valued client, Greenfields Developments, to an ECI contract for the Oran Park Podium shopping centre in southwestern Sydney. This sub-regional shopping centre is the focal point of an evolving new community within the Camden Council LGA and just 15 minutes’ drive from the future Western Sydney Airport. Upon completion, Oran Park Podium will be a uniquely developed, major regional shopping precinct for the surrounding master-planned community development.
Through our ECI process, we enabled the development team to engineer significant savings for the client.
How did we achieve this?
- Four cost plans were developed in the ECI phase, in which we targeted different items to see how and where we could unlock savings for the client.
- These individual items were given an impact rating of high, moderate or low, depending on the likelihood of success.
- This in-depth process revealed savings opportunities in areas including materials selection, construction planning and rationalisation of services, finishes, and material quantities, without compromising the design or quality.
This planning and the options presented contributed to increased client certainty. Through our ECI process, we were able to provide a guaranteed (capped) maximum price that aligned with the client’s budget and timing requirements. Most importantly, through the development of the initial concept to the final costing plan, we ensured no alteration or impingement to the program’s duration.
Our ECI process significantly de-risked the project while delivering maximum value to the client.
From ECI to on-site
Construction is underway, the upcoming development will see the retail space expanded by approximately 16,700m², transforming the Podium into a double supermarket centre, featuring the addition of 65 shops, a childcare centre and over 1,000 convenient undercover car spaces, including Electric Vehicle charging spaces.
The project will more than double the size of the existing centre, linking to the present retail area which is already home to a Woolworths supermarket, a host of retail shops, banks and multiple medical service providers.
Construction started in June 2022 and completion is scheduled by the end of 2023. Project Manager Andrew Dudley and Site Manager Paul Hudson are leading the on-site team for this major town centre retail project, which promises to be a wonderful addition to the local community.
The project will deliver an array of new retailers and service providers into the heart of town, including a new Coles supermarket, a large childcare centre, and multiple new boutique retailers. For foodies, there’s a new and improved Podium Way outdoor dining experience, plus an extra food court next to a new outdoor park, in keeping with the character of Oran Park and its integration of nature, parklands, and community spaces.
We are thrilled to be participating in this exciting new development which is guaranteed to breathe life into southwestern Sydney and this thriving new community.