Westport is the long-term WA Government initiative to relocate container trade from Fremantle to Kwinana via a new port and related infrastructure. Westport comprises a $15+ billion, highly complex and diverse program of marine, landside supply chain and other enabling infrastructure projects. It interfaces with further, massive economic infrastructure development on the nationally-significant Western Trade Coast over the coming decades, such as the Henderson Defence Precinct.

The Westport business case was approved in 2024, and Johnstaff’s engagement coincided with the Westport Program transitioning from its planning phase to a 15-year delivery phase.

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Johnstaff was engaged as Specialist Advisor – State Led Infrastructure and Project Management, providing strategic advisory services to Westport’s Managing Director and governance forums (including attendance at, and advice to, the Westport Steering Committee) and independent review of critical program tasks.

Ongoing since 2022, this role formed part Westport’s ‘Specialist Advisory Group’ of industry experts, responsible for:

• providing regular assurance to the Westport Steering Committee by applying a range of specialist expertise in key technical, commercial and other key areas relevant to the Westport Program, and
• acting as a ‘sounding board’ on scoping, delivery approaches, and final outputs and recommendations to Government developed by the Westport Office, to lift confidence in advice provided to the State Government on substantial policy, procurement, investment and technical matters.

The Specialist Advisor role has involved a wide range of services for the Westport Program over the course of the engagement. In addition to representing the Specialist Advisory Group in presenting its feedback on matters considered at regular Westport Steering Committee meetings, Johnstaff has individually provided the Westport Office with independent review and strategic advice on multiple critical program tasks on as as-needed basis, in response to the Office’s specific requests.

Demonstrating the diversity of Johnstaff’s role, key tasks both as part of the Specialist Advisory Group and advising on specific matters have included:

• Detailed review of the Westport Business Case and Program Management Plan
• Advice on the Westport commercial framework, particularly packaging and procurement strategy
• Review of Westport strategies (Research and Innovation; Workforce; Noongar Opportunities; Resource Efficiency; Net Zero)
• Review of the Westport Quality Management System Implementation Plan
• Presentation to Westport Office team members on program management principles
• Supporting development of the Westport operational model and organisational structure
• Economic analysis to support benefits quantification, and
• Supporting Westport-led analysis of long-term supply chain and logistics risks across the broader infrastructure pipeline in WA.

As well as drawing from extensive, senior experience in major infrastructure planning and delivery, Johnstaff has added significant value to the advisory role through the innovative application of specialist skills, such as independent assurance review (detailed review of key program controls), economic modelling (benefits quantification) and Investment Logic Mapping (infrastructure pipeline risks).

Westport’s Specialist Advisor model is designed to bolster client-side capability by providing access to substantial experience and expertise, including the lived experience of highly credentialled individuals not able to be readily recruited into the Westport Office. This gives Westport targeted senior capability without the cost and delay of building equivalent permanent capacity, while still enabling decision-makers to interrogate advice with confidence.

The value ascribed to the Specialist Advisor services provided by Johnstaff is reflected in the extension of the contract twice, from its original expiry in February 2025 to the end of 2026.