Defence Business: ADM/DMO Awards 2011 - Good people doing good work | ADM April 2012

Katherine Ziesing | Canberra

The DMO and a host of industry companies have been recognised for outstanding teamwork and excellence in project management at the annual Australian Defence Magazine (ADM) Awards Dinner in February 2012.

Major companies and Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) along with their DMO counterparts were nominated in four different categories;

• Major Acquisition;
• Minor Acquisition;
• Sustainment/Logistics Support Activity; and
• Rapid Acquisition.

These teams were then considered for two additional awards - the most outstanding Major Company/DMO team and SME/DMO team of the year and were named winner of the Essington Lewis trophies.

The Major Acquisition category was taken out by BAE Systems, Saab Technology and CEA Technologies for their work on the ASMD program during 2011. The reworking of the contract under the 1+7 model also ensured that risk was managed effectively for all parties. While the Anzac Class Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) project made the Projects of Concern (POC) list, the work done by all parties in 2011 to get the project back on course under the 1+7 regime and deliver the capability was exemplary.

The extra rigour the Projects of Concern framework provided showed all parties that the relationship between them was key in handing over a highly capable HMAS Perth to the Royal Australian Navy. This award also highlights the fact that being on the POC list is not the end of the world for a program or the companies involved. See the From the Source interview this month with CEA Technologies CEO Rob Forbes for more information on the ASMD program. The team then went onto to win the Essington Lewis trophy for a Prime company. This is the first time a combined industry team has taken out the award. No doubt the trophy will be shipped all over the country during the next 12 months!

The Minor Acquisition award was won by the Tactical Aircraft Systems Program Office and Cirrus Real Time Processing - Under Air Force Minor 1002. This team provided an interim upgrade to the Airborne Navigation Trainer and Synthetic Navigation Trainer. This solution was delivered on time and to budget, managed risk appropriately and utilised Australian intellectual property.  

The Sustainment/Logistics Support Activity was won by Daronmont Technologies and the GTESPO. They were recognised for their work on the Mobile Control and Reporting Centre Reconstitution and Sustainment Support Activity carried out in 2011. The work done clearly showed a strong collaborative relationship from first principles, allowing the project to be delivered on time and on budget. This team also went onto win the Essington Lewis trophy for an SME, a huge boost for the company that has always performed well at the awards in previous years.

The Rapid Acquisition category was taken out by Micreo and Land Self Protection SPO as they were able to deliver a complex, high technology counter-IED solution to a serious frontline problem the ADF was facing using Australian technology in a tightly compressed timeline. The team were commended on their innovative use of risk management measures to deliver on time and on budget.

Also honoured on the evening were the companies that headed ADMs Top 40 Defence Contractors BAE Systems Australia, ADMs Top 20 Defence SME Sikorsky Helitech and ADMs Top 20 ANZ Defence SME Adagold Aviation. These awards are based on the survey results that we released in the December/January edition of ADM. These lists along with past lists from previous years are also available to download from the ADM website, www.australiandefence.com.au

The Australian Industry and Defence Network (AIDN) also used the event to announce the winner of its AIDN National Young Achiever Award. The finalists were Dugald Harland from CEA Technologies (ACT), Luke Moffat from Australian Aerospace (Queensland), David Powling from Drake Australia (NT), Paolo Santos from C4i Pty Ltd (Victoria) and David Savage of Raytheon Australia (South Australia). In 2011, Dugald Harland from CEA Technologies won the award for his contribution to the Phased Array Radar project on ASMD.