Background

NSW Public Works (NSWPW) has been engaged by HNELHD to manage the procurement and delivery of a pilot EV Infrastructure Program.

The program involves upgrading existing infrastructure to facilitate the supply and installation of EV charging stations at four key locations: Wallsend Community Health Service, Newcastle Community Health Service, Tamworth Hospital and Armidale Hospital.

The initiative is in response to the NSW Government target to electrify its passenger vehicle fleet of 12,000 cars by 2030 as part of the NSW Government EV Strategy.

Our role

As the project manager for the EV Infrastructure Program, we provide a range of services including design management, technical compliance assurance, procurement, contract administration, and project management.

Design management

In consultation with the client, we undertook a thorough assessment of the sites to determine design requirements such as electrical capacity, fleet energy requirements and best charging mix.

As part of this process, we conducted site inspections, gathered data, compared it with an energy portal, calculated spare capacity using electrical engineering software and analysed telematics data.

Based on the analysis, we recommended the installation of 94 dual port 7kW AC EV chargers, enabling 188 vehicles to be charged, and the cars to be in the charger locations every second day.

One of the most challenging aspects of the project is managing the existing electrical infrastructure and supply capacity at each site. To address this we developed a design brief that included load shedding capabilities and user visibility on power usage, enabling informed charging decisions. The brief also included connecting chargers to software, creating detailed design documentation, and ensuring compliance with Australian Standards and NSW Health guidelines.

Procurement strategy

The procurement strategy involved selecting NSW contractors from a pre-qualified list, focusing on regional-based contractors that used hardware compatible with specific software. Shortlisted tenders were selected based on price criteria. We recommended this approach as a thorough design brief has been prepared by our team, reducing project risks and ambiguity, and contractors had been pre-vetted by the scheme and client.

Delivery

The program is being delivered in two stages.

Stage one includes the installation of backbone infrastructure for stage two as well as the initial installation of 62 dual EV chargers to suit current demand. This infrastructure includes the main switchboard capacity, pits and conduits, but not cabling, EDBs or chargers.

Stage two involves the delivery of the remaining 35 dual EV chargers based on the 2030 EV rollout targets.

Outcomes

As of March 2025, the design management stage is complete and requests for tenders have been underway for all sites.

Stages one and two for Wallsend and Newcastle Health Service are in the process of being awarded. Stage one for Tamworth and Armidale Hospital has been awarded.

NSW Public Works has been fantastic to work with on the EV Infrastructure Program. Their thorough site assessments and innovative design solutions have made a significant impact. We highly recommend their services.”
Phillip Gralton, General Manager Facilities Management Unit, HNELHD.

Stage one is expected to be completed in October 2025.