New Client Demands: Evolving Practices for Evolving Needs-PPT Presentation

PPT Presentation

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Dirk Bennje of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) describes how changing client needs are prompting new approaches to infrastructure delivery.<br /><br />HPA, a public-law institution established in 2005, manages and upgrades Hamburg’s port infrastructure, including railways, quay walls, bridges, tunnels, roads and flood defences. Its technical division provides services across the asset lifecycle, from maintenance and operations to engineering and project management. Around 100 project staff manage 20–30 projects at a time, with total investment of approximately €1–2 billion. Several upcoming projects focus on quay walls.<br /><br />Past projects have faced delays, cost overruns, weak risk management, unclear design responsibilities, limited cooperation and innovation, and lengthy contractual disputes. Budgets were often fixed too early, leaving little room to respond to changing conditions.<br /><br />HPA’s aims for a new contractual approach are timely completion, cost stability, stronger risk awareness and greater opportunity for improvement. It also seeks to make projects and construction work more attractive. The proposed approach emphasizes shared goals, early collaboration and design responsibility, incentive-based remuneration, and a culture of trust and openness.<br /><br />After reviewing international models, HPA identified Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)—adapted in Germany as Integrated Project Execution or Alliance (IPA)—as a suitable approach, alongside Early Contractor Involvement (ECI). These methods must be adapted to the constraints of public procurement and finance rules.<br /><br />HPA’s procurement process evaluates technical value as well as price. Competitors may be assessed on relevant experience, technical concepts and staff qualifications, including through assessment centres. In some cases, technical value accounts for up to 70% of the evaluation, compared with 30% for price.

Keywords

Hamburg Port Authority

HPA

infrastructure delivery

Integrated Project Delivery

Alliance contracting

Early Contractor Involvement

public procurement

quay wall projects

risk management

project management