Project development and lifecycle

Commissioning

Good commissioning outcomes start with good design. Tetra Tech Proteus always recognises and accounts for constructability and commissioning in the design process, to facilitate a convenient and fast paced commissioning process.  We provide initial commissioning planning and documentation preparation, on-site co-ordination and technical support, management of specialist testing contractors, documentation of the commissioning process, initial production team support, and training for turnover to our client’s operations team.

Construction management assistance

Tetra Tech Proteus delivers fit for purpose, constructible designs to meet owner’s objectives. We are always ready to support construction activities for our clients, through provision of on-site and off-site support.

Support levels can be as straightforward as off-site technical support provided by the team who designed the project, or as on-site dedicated support for construction ranging from field engineering and inspection to construction management including Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC), quality, commercial, project controls, document control, procurement, expediting and materials management and commissioning.

Demolition

Tetra Tech Proteus has extensive experience in demolition design, providing engineering support to several demolition contractors.

We work with  contractors to identify the best approach to undertaking the work (which may involve crane deconstruction, cutting and felling, shearing steel, concrete hammering or explosives) and the feasibility of the proposed demolition methods.

Engineering support to demolition contractors includes:

• Visual inspection of the works to be demolished identifying high-risk items to be demolished and the condition of the structure which may affect access of personnel and equipment.
• Detailed demolition design including stability analysis of the structure during demolition, MTO’s for crane lifts, and determining cutting patterns and required pull forces for felling of structures.
• Providing structural advice to the contractor as to capacity of structures to support demolition equipment including the capacity of elevated platforms, buildings, columns, floors, timber decks, and retaining walls to ensure the works are carried out safely.
• Appropriate use of temporary propping or stiffening of structure and procedures.
• Animation modelling to show clients the proposed method of felling for buildings.
• Vibration analysis to assess the potential impact of falling structures on adjoining structures and equipment.
• Demolition procedure statements and review of contractor produced work method statements.
• Attendance on-site during actual demolition for critical lifts and felling operations.

EPC and EPCM project delivery

Tetra Tech Proteus has built an enviable reputation in the multi-discipline engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) project delivery to the resources and energy sectors of Australia and Asia over the last 30 years.

We cover all phases of a project’s life cycle, from identification to hand over.

Our systems and procedures are tried and tested as we have been AS/NZS ISO9001 accredited since 1995 and AS/NZS 4801 accredited since 2008.

The core components of the EPC and EPCM project delivery we focus on are:

• Project Management
• Engineering design
• Procurement
• Construction.

Our focus areas include:

• Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC)
• Quality – QA/QC management
• Scope management
• Planning and scheduling
• Cost management
• Risk management
• HR/IR/ER management.

Mine closure

We have more than 30 years’ experience in supplying specialist mining consulting services to the international mining industry. Our products range from innovative spatial data management solutions through to leading geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring systems, analytical quality control and hydraulic transport applications. Using our specialist experience at all stages of mine closure and rehabilitation, we can:

• Develop mine closure implementation plans
• Identify and manage closure issues
• Develop closure objectives and completion criteria
• Conduct stakeholder consultation
• Manage acid mine drainage and metal ferrous materials
• Identify and remediate contaminated areas
• Progressive rehabilitation planning, implementation and supervision
• Pre-decommission environment and social reviews/
• Audits
• Geotechnical decommissioning reviews
• Optimise materials placement, drainage and revegetation
• Integrate waste dump and tailings landform designs
• Decommission the mine and manage closure
• Monitor and remediate post-closure environment
• Standards
• Assess and report relinquishment criteria
• Provide post closure audit and reporting
• Project management of studies

The value of Tetra Tech Proteus associated with mine closure is realised through the technical excellence of our combined teams with extensive mining experience in Western Australia and globally. As mine closure planning has become a regulatory requirement, mine closure issues have needed to be addressed in mine design and development approvals.

Tetra Tech Proteus’ wide ranging mine design experience has had to incorporate a complete package of closure aspects, including:

• Mine and waste planning
• Costing of mining operations based on our extensive database
• Scoping, pre-feasibility and definitive feasibility studies
• Due diligence audits
• Tailings storage design, including closure aspects
• Tailings storage auditing, construction monitoring and document preparation
• Cost estimation for tailings projects based on our extensive database
• Environmental consulting including:
  • Baseline studies
  • ESIA compilation
  • Closure planning
  • Documentation for regulatory approval

Tetra Tech Proteus has also conducted specific closure projects to contribute to the regulatory required mine closure plans. This work included materials sampling and testing, materials characterisation, landform design, drainage management and final compilation of closure plans.

Operations support

Engineering and design solutions within operating facilities carry special challenges not faced in greenfield construction sites. These often include in-service equipment containing chemicals, slurries and other production products, fully energised electrical infrastructure, worn or broken-down equipment, worn or corroded piping, and damaged or failed structures.

Tetra Tech Proteus is always ready and up to the challenge of resolving these issues for our clients – these issues are very interesting for our team and really rewarding when we get the solutions right.

Our operations support includes:

• Structures vibration assessment and solutions design
• Corrosion assessment and remediation
• Replacement of worn or legacy equipment
• On-site damage assessment and remediation support
• Upgrade or replacement of legacy electrical infrastructure to newer, safer standards
• Design for shutdown or campaign construction work
• Off-site expediting and factory acceptance testing

Owners engineer services

Due to our extensive on-site experience with both sustaining capital and brownfields development, we are uniquely placed to offer owners engineering services.

Quite often our clients don’t have in-house engineering resources to execute projects. In these situations, they usually request engineering assistance and engage Tetra Tech Proteus as Owner’s Engineers. Our primary role as an Owner’s Engineer is to fill gaps in our clients’ resources and expertise; and protect their interests by ensuring that the technical and installation contractors are adhering the project specifications.

Our scope of services and responsibilities may differ depending on projects execution methodology. On EPCM projects, we usually act as a client’s representative during project commissioning and ramp-up. On EPC projects, we can act as an independent advocate for the owner and in conjunction with the owner’s resources. The tendency of EPC contractors to raise costs in response to poorly defined scope can be better controlled when an owner’s engineer is working on behalf of a client to develop a tighter scope.

The Owner’s Engineer role is separate from the Project Manager’s role as this often involves overseeing the technical and commercial due diligence aspects of the works. Owners Engineers are usually a “third-party” overseeing the executing parties’ activities throughout the project lifecycle.

Our tasks as Owner’s Engineers often include:

• Non-legal contract reviews
• Project feasibility and planning evaluation and reporting
• Construction progress monitoring
• Equipment and material compliance monitoring
• Detail design and planning reviews
• Schedule optimization
• Commissioning and verification tests
• Operational and maintenance reviews
• Cost vs. benefit analysis
• General reporting to the owner.

Procurement assistance

Procurement activities require established management skills and long-term trusted vendor relationships. We deploy our engineers, procurement officers, expeditors, logistics specialists and shop inspectors to ensure fully resourced and high-quality procurement is delivered on our projects.

Our scope of procurement services comprises:

• Development and deployment of Project Contracting and Procurement Plan
• Preparation of supply and construction packages/contracts
• Tender evaluations and recommendations
• Post-award package and contract management
• QA/QC monitoring
• Expediting and materials control with tracking
• Logistics
• Comprehensive procurement reporting.

Our workflow and expertise allow for a cloud-based progress tracking during engineering, procurement and construction stages. Integration of the cloud-based tracking and 3D project model is also possible.

In today’s world, most projects are globally sourced. Tetra Tech Proteus has the local presence and global expertise in  120 countries on 7 continents.

Temporary structures

Great cost and safety outcomes from construction often stem from efficient and effective design of temporary structures.

Our experienced civil and structural teams apply the knowledge and experience they have gained from working on construction projects to deliver temporary structures that provide the right access for construction works.

We also support all static and dynamic loads which can be unusual in a partially complete construction project.

Tetra Tech Proteus always make use of a safety-in-design process and work directly with construction teams to understand and deliver to their needs. We also support projects with design of temporary utilities and construction infrastructure.