Wheelhouse and conning position
suburbs, small items or trash left behind on beaches and other foreshore locations by the public, or just plain flotsam and jetsam from vessels.
The delivery of the catamaran ES8 makes a formidable fleet of eight vessels for this hardworking team, who keep a large portion of NSW waterways clean.
How did the New Zealand company Q-West get to build ES8
for an Australian state department, when it is common knowledge that Australia is notoriously difficult in the government tender process for any New Zealand company. While not suggesting any trans-Tasman bias, for Q-West to be successful speaks heaps of this company's abilities in a competitive international market. Clearly, the tender process was locally based with a registration of interest and briefing in Sydney. Potential applicants had to pay a deposit of A$200 to get a tender package which was for the build only. Q-West asked New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to attend and represent the company during this registration part of the process and to pick up the documents.
After working through the contract-to-build specifications and terms of conditions, which included a turnkey delivery to Sydney, Q-West submitted their tender. We understand there were some 10 or so applicants, mostly from Australia, of which only three made the short list. To get to this stage of the short list, the submitters had to demonstrate they had the capability, proven expertise and a longstanding history of boatbuilding, and be able to deliver on time to a price with no outstanding remedial work. Q-West met the criteria and was ultimately successful in submitting a fully compliant tender, and secured the contract with a delivery date for the end of July, 2011. Constructed in marine grade alloy, ES8's design is an
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Ph: +64 7 827 4142, Fax: +64 7 827 8435 www.seaworth.com
September/October 2011 Professional Skipper 13
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