
Complex Program Group
Organising for a complex world


CLIENTS
We deliver uniquely complex policy and national capability development, organisational change, and public-private partnership programs for multilateral bodies, governments, and large private sector organisations.

The Complex Program Group led the restructuring and strategic planning of the UN Economic Commission for Europe PPP initiative, a global multi-lateral programme incorporating the PPP initiatives of all other Economic Commissions. The Complex Program Group undertook the role of Editor-in-Chief for the development of all best-practice guidances, including PPP national capability assessment frameworks and the How-to Contract Manual for PPP.

Developed and piloted the 'Save a Life Initiative' (SALI) and 'Public-NGO Partnerships' (PNP) on primary heath care projects in Sudan. SALI has received strong endorsement internationally as a world-first comprehensive strategy for implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 in fragile countries.

The Inverted Bid Model was developed by the Complex Program Group in collaboration with Industry Super Australia and IFM Investors, to support equity-based PPP financing and procurement. This model is supported by OECD, the G20, multilateral banks, as well as Australian Government and industry, to significantly increase the quantum of available finance for civil and social infrastructure.

The Complex Program Group instigated and provided subject-matter leadership for policy change within the Defence Materiel Organisation to categorise the complexity of programs. This policy change has restructured how the DMO approves, plans, contracts and manages complex programs, including the development of competency standards, an executive MBA course, project categorisation framework, and project manager certification framework for complex project management.

Organisational establishment, strategic development, bid management, organizational design and contract management of Siemens bid for the outsourcing of ITC services for Centrelink and FACS (largest ICT outsourcing program in Australia). An innovative governance contract based strategy using multiple partner organizations in integrated teams was established. The project developed a strategy, architecture, and contracting methodology that continues to be used a decade later.

The Complex Program Group has worked closely with the US Office of the Secretary of Defence in the advancement of the system-of-systems systems engineering (SoS SE) methodology, including the use of the Complex Program Group's "wave planning" methodology as the core underpinning concept for SoS SE implementation. The SoS SE methodology is best-practice for all complex US defence projects.

The Complex Program Group was engaged by NWC’s CEO to review the performance of their Jeddah O&M contract and waste-water treatment plant PPP; and advise on NWC's overall PPP strategy.

The Complex Program Group led the successful transformation of WestRail (a State Government-owned department responsible for rail services in Western Australia) into a commercial organisation that was subsequently privatised. In a world-first innovation, the contract between the Complex Program Group and the WA State Government incorporated Partnering processes - a critical step in the subsequent development of the alliancing methodology that is now broadly used internationally.

The Complex Program Group was engaged to develop and implement a Partnering strategy to overcome poor performance in the outsourcing contract between Qantas and the Australian Department of Defence. The partnering strategy successfully turned the relationship around, and helped resolve key problems that had been affecting project success, by overcoming each organisation's top-down culture and engaging operational personnel. The project went on to win an Australian National Partnering Award.

The Complex Program Group provided strategic advice, mentoring, and bid management services in establishing Transfield Services as a separate outsourcing maintenance and asset management contractor. Success as a services contractor required significant change from a win-lose into a trust-based culture, and also developing relational-based systems and processes. Transfield Services has become Australia's leading services company with over 35,000 people.

The Complex Program Group developed and tendered the first relational contract in the UAE for a new high-technology production city. The governance contract utilized a lead systems integrator (LSI) approach to develop the overall program strategy, and facilitated capability development in relational contracting within the Client.

The Complex Program Group was engaged to develop and implement an organisational change program for Zurich's Australian business, away from an agency-model and towards a direct-business model. The Complex Program Group overcame significant cultural resistance within Zurich, to successfully lead the development and implementation of new business processes and ICT systems.

The Complex Program Group conducted an international review of governance processes in OECD countries, which led to the review and amendment of two federal Acts governing Departments and Agencies in the Australian Government.

The Complex Program Group worked with Shell to develop and successfully implement a partnering overlay to a SLA-based outsourcing contract, the first non-government project to do so in Australia. This project led to the rapid diffusion of partnering throughout the Australian petrochemical sector.

The Complex Program Group analysed the impact of strategy and technology on newspaper sales within Australia, leading to fundamental strategic change in editorial and print within Fairfax (Australia’s largest newspaper group). This analysis is now used internationally as core material in tertiary communication courses.

The Complex Program Group undertook a review of UNCITRAL's model PPP legislation, and formed part of a core Working Group with other multilateral development banks (being the only private sector representative) to review this guidance and recommend UNCITRAL's future strategy with respect to PPP.

Through policy changes led by the Complex Program Group, the Malaysian Department of Public Works (JKR) changed to focus on outcomes rather than outputs, and on whole-of-lifecycle project considerations. This required JKR to develop new competences in project management, contracting, maintenance, facilities and asset management. The Complex Program Group led the establishment of a new complex project management group (PROKOM), and developed and implemented new competences and systems within JKR.

The Complex Program Group developed an innovative strategic relational contracting approach to outsource the CAPEX, maintenance, and asset management of over 9,000 km of rail track for the Rail Access Corporation (RAC). This strategy amended existing PFI strategy, to deliver a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model that has subsequently been applied internationally.

Lead the development and piloting on innovative forms o0f Governance and PPP to deliver sustainable services in fragile and conflict affected countries. Co-authored the United Nations Putting People First Principles

The Complex Program Group was engaged to directly advise the Minister for Olympics and head of the NSW Public Works Department on a review of the overall construction program and individual projects for the Sydney Olympics. Following this review, the Complex Program Group was engaged to develop an innovative PPP-based contracting model for the main access roads to the Sydney Olympic Park.

The Complex Program Group helped United Group grow from an oil and gas fabricator to a diverse services-based organisation. Working closely with the founder of United Constructions, the Complex Program Group developed and implemented relational-based business strategies that utilised Partnering, self-directed teams, and alliancing. Using this approach, the United Group has become one of Australia’s leading engineering, outsourcing and services companies.

The Complex Program Group was appointed by the UNECE Secretariat to directly review and advise the Kazakhstan Prime Minister and national PPP unit on its PPP policies and legal framework, strategies, capability development, and pilot PPP projects.

After a number of failed high-profile attempts to change the Australian Civil Aviation and Safety Authority (CASA), the Complex Program Group was engaged to lead an organisational change program within CASA using integrated teams. The change program was successfully delivered within the 3 year timeframe, having passed over 100 pieces of Federal legislation, and re-licensed all parties connected with civil aviation in Australia without industrial disputation.

The merger of BHP with Billiton and subsequent sale of the BHP Wollongong Steelworks, placed over 100 small-medium enterprise businesses in commercial jeopardy. The Complex Program Group led the establishment of a new joint venture that integrated these existing SME businesses together so as to successfully tender for works within the Steelworks. As part of this strategy, the Complex Program Group was required to fast-track the development of high maturity capabilities within the joint venture.

Development of organisational architecture and strategy to develop 100,000 houses in Saudi

As part of the BHP and Billiton merger, the BHP steelwork division was sold-off as a separate business. The commercial survival of the Wollongong steelworks depended upon implementing significant cultural and structural change. The Complex Program Group led a successful outsourcing strategy based upon governance contracting, to deliver deep cultural change and process re-engineering that laid the foundations for the steelwork's improved performance and commercial success.

The Complex Program Group was requested to assess, plan and implement a whole-of-government governance and project management capability-development program for the Federated States of Micronesia.


As Chairman and National President of Australia’s peak body for the project management profession (the Australian Institute of Project Management), Dr David Dombkins restructured the organisation, updated the professional competency standards, replaced the existing professional certification system, increased AIPM's industrial partners from 3 to over 120, laid the foundations for AIPM to join the IMPA, and developed and gained approval for a new corporate constitution and governance charter.

The establishment of Centrelink was at the time the largest merger in Australia's history, involving over 27,000 people in over 600 locations. The merger bought together two organsations with very different cultures and business strategies. The Complex Program Group successfully led the change program to establish Centrelink, including the development and implementation of organisational restructuring, business process re-engineering, and change to a customer-orientated service delivery culture.

