Recruitment – Project Managers

Owen Harvey – Executive Manager Operations

A large proportion of CT Management Group’s core business is Project Management, and we are currently recruiting for Prospective Associates in the areas of Asset Management, Facilities and Building Condition assessment, Infrastructure and Works management.

Opportunities are continuing to grow in these areas as our company’s “can do” offering is being taken up by new clients across Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.

If you know of anyone interested in a rewarding opportunity to project management one of our projects or act as placement with a client council, then please ask them to send a recent resume to mervh@ctman.com.au

A Message from the Managing Director – August 2022

A message from the Managing Director

Economic Environment & Local Government

The economic environment we are currently experiencing is unique – concurrent record low unemployment, low interest rates and labour and skill shortages.

We also have experienced record growth in property market (record rates in regional Australia) coupled with a high growth rate in the share market, though this is starting to decline.

How will this environment impact demand for services from CT Management Group?

Let’s see if we can unravel this!

General outlook

Australia’s economic growth is expected to peak at 4.25% this financial year. Economy is growing at a faster rate than the global average of 3.75%, and ahead of the US and Europe, which helps explain why Australian shares have performed strongly.

Associate Inductions and OH&S

Malcolm McKenzie – National Placements Manager

Just a reminder of the importance of induction when commencing projects or placements. This not only helps Associates with understanding the systems and processes utilised by our respective clients but also matters relating to Occupational Health and Safety and any risks associated with performing the role.

Many of our clients will have different approaches to induction with some having formal systems in place which they proactively require new contractors to participate in, whilst others are less proactive in their expectations. The important thing is that during your pre-commencement communication with the client, you ask what are the induction requirements for commencement?

Professional Engineers Registration (VIC)

Alf Della Monica – Regional Manager VIC/TAS

CT Management Group is partnering with IPWEA (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia) Victoria promoting the attention of our Engineering Associates to the requirements of the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019.

The countdown is on; anyone providing a professional civil engineering service in or for Victoria must be registered by 30 September 2022.

Definition: Consumer Affairs Victoria define “Professional Engineering Service” as:

“An engineering service that requires, or is based on, the application of engineering principles and data to a:

design relating to engineering, or construction, production, operation or maintenance activity relating to engineering

other than an engineering service that is provided only in accordance with a prescriptive standard.”

NSW – Region News

Jarrod Bryant – Regional Manager NSW

Major Projects

There has been plenty of activity occurring in NSW in recent months with CT Management winning several major projects across a variety of fields. Recent wins and delivered projects include:

Hawkesbury City Council – completion of a suite of Asset Condition Assessments for Parks and Open Space facilities Narrabri Shire Council – delivery of a suite of Asset Management Plans, Asset Management Strategy & Policy, Asset Management Capacity Assessment, and development of their Special Schedule 7 report. Tweed Shire Council – recently started the delivery of Stage 1 of Service Planning Murray River Council – recently started the delivery of Stage 1 of Service Planning Murray River Council – delivering a program of Councillor Workshops for Facility Needs & Demand Assessments Kempsey Shire Council – recently started delivery of an Aquatic Facilities Asset Condition Assessment and Maintenance Planning project

Carrathool Shire Council – recently started delivery of the development of a suite of Asset Management Plans, Asset Management Strategy & Policy, and an Asset Management Capacity Assessment

New South Wales Disaster Recovery

Disaster assistance has been made available in 37 local government areas (LGAs) in NSW impacted by severe storms and flooding earlier this month.

COVID-19 and Vaccinations

COVID-19 and Vaccinations

Covid variants seem to keep on coming at the moment, so all Associates are encouraged to be vaccinated.

COVID-19 remains a risk to many of our Associates and Clients in maintaining a safe workplace for contractors and employees.

Many Associates have provided us with their Vaccination Certificates showing two vaccinations doses.

We are now asking Associates to provide us with their most recent Certificates showing booster vaccinations.

In preparing proposals for Clients, the status of our Staff and Associates who may be required to work onsite is being requested so it is essential we have this information on our records.

ProjectWorks – Associate Invoicing

Brayden Dixon – Assistant Accountant

I would like to thank all associates once again for the continuous feedback received in using ProjectWorks for timesheets and invoicing.  If you have any ideas for improving ProjectWorks, don’t hesitate to email me.

We request where possible using ProjectWorks daily to record timesheets and expenses, so that this information is ready to go at the conclusion of the current month.

As CT Management Group follows a monthly invoicing process, I would ask that all associates please notify me through email that you have made timesheet and expense entries on the last day of that month in which you have been working. 

Associate Survey Results

Thank you to those Associates who completed the 2022 Associate Survey.

The Survey results will assist us in understanding your level of satisfaction in fulfilling assignments with CT Management Group.  With Associates from a wide interstate geographical area, communication is always a challenge in meeting everyone’s expectation.  This report provides a summary of information gathered from this year’s survey as feedback to Associates.

Introduction

The 2022 Associate Survey has resulted in a 34.74% response from Associates, which is an increase from 2021’s response rate of 30.95%.

Associates were asked to respond to 20 questions in a variety of question formats including scaling from 1-5 (1=low 5=high). 

Associate Contribution – Malcolm Lewis

Down, down, profits are down

You may be interested to know that FinPro (the Local Government peak body representing the finance professionals) is currently surveying members regarding any initiatives their Councils have implemented to generate income from alternate revenue streams. FinPro are facilitating the survey following a request from Rural Councils Victoria (RCV).

Interesting if the survey is motivated by the current profitability of Victorian Councils that continues its downward spiral.  The following graph is adapted from Victorian Auditor General’s Office data and shows profitability hit negative territory during the 2019-20 year and continued south for the 2020-21 year.  For the technically minded, the graph is the adjusted underlying result across all 79 Victorian Councils. 

Q & A – Associate Aaron Huttig

In this Newsletter addition we feature Associate Aaron Huttig and learn a little more about his life’s journey.  Thank you for your contribution, Aaron.

We value your contribution to CT Management Group; what drew you to becoming a consultant? It’s the first question and I’m already reaching for cliches – for the flexibility.  Like a lot of people, Covid was a great time to reflect on many issues, but one of them was my career and what I wanted out of it.  I got married at the end of 2019 and my wife moved from the USA to Australia.  We had planned to do a lot of travelling around SE Asia and Oceania during 2020, we only got as far as New Zealand that January.

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