The “Spark” consortium building Melbourne’s A$11bn North East Link mega road and tunnelling project has decided to use UK technology company nPlan’s AI-led project assurance and risk management platform as the project enters the final stretch.
Billed as Melbourne’s missing transport link, the North East Link private-public partnership is a major upgrade to the city’s highway system involving 6.5km of three-lane twin tunnels that will connect the M80 Ring Road to an upgraded Eastern Freeway.
When it opens in 2028, it will let motorists skip 18 sets of traffic lights on a trip to the airport and take 15,000 trucks off local roads.
The Spark NEL D&C joint venture comprises Italy’s WeBuild, South Korea’s GS Engineering and Construction, Australia’s CPB Contractors (part of Cimic Group), China Construction Oceania, Cimic Group companies Ventia and Pacific Partnerships, along with Capella Capital, John Laing Investments and DIF.
The joint venture started work on the link in October 2021.
It will now use nPlan’s flagship Insights Pro platform, which taps into a dataset of more than 750,000 past project schedules from 10 countries, together representing more than $2trn in capital expenditure. nPlan says it’s the largest dataset of its kind in the world.
The risky final stretch
Insights Pro will let Spark’s project controls team quantify schedule uncertainty, highlight risky activities and sub-critical paths, and clarify schedule complexity and quality challenges, nPlan says.
“It is in the later stages of delivery where risks can multiply quickly and delays can pile up suddenly,” said Rui Gaiao, Project Controls Director at Spark NEL D&C.
“By partnering with nPlan, Spark NEL D&C is acting responsibly to ensure we have the best possible chance of completing the North East Link with confidence, supported by world-class data-driven assurance.”
nPlan co-founder and chief executive Dev Amratia said: “Owners and contractors are turning to us because our dataset … gives them a uniquely powerful way to see risks clearly, manage uncertainty, and deliver with confidence.”
$16m injection
The Melbourne deal marks a first for nPlan in the highways sector. Established in 2017, it has been active in energy, utility and rail projects. Its technology is currently being used on some $500bn worth of live projects worldwide.
The agreement follows nPlan’s $16m Series B fundraising led by CapHorn, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Suffolk Technologies, with continued support from GV, Pentech Ventures, and LocalGlobe.
Its notable angel investors include Sir Ian Davis, former CEO of McKinsey; Sir Demis Hassabis, founder and CEO of DeepMind; and Lord David Prior, previous chair of NHS England.
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