Geotechnical Baseline Reports for Risk Management and Sharing in Australian Tunnelling
Alex Gomes and Dr Richard Kelly
Underground construction must inevitably deal with uncertainty and risks associated with the subsurface conditions. Geotechnical Baseline Reports (GBRs) are commonly used internationally on large tunnelling projects to help manage and contractually allocate geotechnical risks between the Parties. While Design/build is the most prevalent procurement method in Australia, with most clients contractually shedding all geotechnical risks to the contractors, a positive change towards collaborative contracts are being observed in the industry with the recent inclusion of GBRs to set the geotechnical risk-sharing mechanisms for major infrastructure projects.
Join Alex Gomes and Richard Kelly for an overview of geotechnical risk management and sharing mechanisms in tunnelling and to learn from their experience in the development of GBRs of different types (traditional GBR in accordance with the ASCE and the FIDIC Emerald’s book GBR) for recent major tunnel projects in Australia
A joint ATS & AGS Sydney technical presentation
About the speakers
Alex Gomes Chief Technical Principal – Tunnels and Underground, SMEC
Alex Gomes is a civil engineer with 30 years of international experience in the design and construction of tunnel and underground works and applied geotechnical and geo-mechanical engineering. Alex has worked on major infrastructure projects across Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Americas, including projects of subways, railways, roads, mining, utilities, water and hydropower plants, providing expert advice on technical, forensic and contractual aspects for sub-surface works. Alex holds the position of Chief Technical Principal – Tunnels and Underground at SMEC and is the past Vice-President of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES). During the preparation of the FIDIC Emerald Book, Alex acted on behalf of ITA as a peer-reviewer of the document.
Dr Richard Kelly Chief Technical Principal and General Manager Technical Excellence, SMEC
Dr Richard Kelly BE, PhD, FIEAust, CPEng, NPER, Chief Technical Principal and General Manager Technical Excellence at SMEC, is at the forefront of best practice and innovation in geotechnical engineering. He actively provides service on behalf of the wider geotechnical community, helps deliver sustainable infrastructure for the benefit of our communities and is a bridge between academia and industry. Richard has contributed to significant infrastructure projects in Australia, NZ and the UK including roads, rail, building infrastructure, power and energy, dams and hydropower, airports, water infrastructure and ports. Richard has led and supported university research over many years. This combination of industry and academic expertise has enabled Richard to transfer research outcomes into practice, creating and enabling significant change in the delivery of infrastructure projects.
Engineers Australia members participating in AGS technical sessions can record attendance on their personal CPD logs. Members should refer to Engineers Australia CPD policy for details on CPD types, requirements and auditing guidelines.