The Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence Bruce Billson today launched the expressions of interest (EOI) process as part of phase 2 of a project designed to improve the standard of permanent live-in accommodation for single members of the Australian Defence Force across Australia. Mr Billson said Project Single LEAP (Living Environment and Accommodation Precinct) was all about ensuring our service men and women had enhanced quality accommodation and a place to call home. This includes the provision of modern, self-contained apartments, with telephone and internet access, secure storage for personal possessions and undercover parking.

“Under phase 1 of the project, Plenary Living has been selected as the preferred tenderer in a Public Private Partnership for the comprehensive provision of 1,295 single units at ADF bases at Holsworthy, NSW, and Enoggera and Amberley in Queensland. This includes finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of accommodation services for a 30-year term, subject to successful contract negotiations,” Mr Billson said. “Today we launch phase 2 of the project, which is the call for expressions of interest for the engagement of a strategic partner to provide an additional 4,000 accommodation units for single ADF members at various sites across Australia. From that EOI process, it is planned that a shortlist of registrants will be announced in early 2007 who will then be invited to submit a Request for Proposal.”

Mr Billson said phase 2 of Project Single LEAP presents an exciting opportunity for industry involvement in one of the largest social infrastructure projects to be undertaken in Australia as a public private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

“This is a landmark project in terms of its size and scale as a PPP arrangement and we look forward to working with Australian industry on phase 2. A project such as Single LEAP falls squarely into the type of project that the Government recognises is likely to provide value-for-money through PPP delivery,” he said. “This is particularly the case due to the opportunity for a long-term contract involving asset and service based procurement with substantial whole-of-life costs. The use of PPP delivery for Project Single LEAP will help the Government harness the innovation and efficiency skills of the private sector in managing Defence’s long term strategic accommodation challenges.”