Tenders

PURPOSE:

To replace Austroads publication no: AP-R175-00 ‘Guidelines for Conducting Air Quality Studies’ (2000) with Austroads guidance based on current good practice air quality impact assessment methodologies, for significant road projects by leveraging a collaboration with the Clean Air Society Australia and New Zealand (CASANZ) to build on the 2023 CASANZ Good Practice Guide and drive national harmonisation of best practice.

SCOPE:

The scope of this project is to develop a replacement Austroads air quality guideline that provides practical advice to transport agencies, air quality practitioners and approval authorities on assessing and managing air quality impacts from the construction and operation of road projects in Australia and New Zealand.

An external consultant will be commissioned to:

1. review the existing CASANZ Good Practice Guide ('CASANZ GPG) and work with Austroads members, CASANZ and other relevant stakeholders to identify any gaps or updates required to inform a fit for purpose, comprehensive air quality guideline. The review shall cover all chapters and topics within the CASANZ GPG, as well as emerging areas affecting air quality assessment and management. It should also consider how transport projects should utilise the document to demonstrate compliance/alignment with National Environment Protection Measures (NEPM) standards.
2. undertake a formal gap analysis of the CASANZ GPG with justifications provided for inclusions and exclusions. The gap analysis should be informed by a literature review, stakeholder engagement outcomes and implementation experience with the CASANZ GPG since publication.
3. conduct required research to develop the required new or updated content.
4. conduct required stakeholder engagement to develop the required new or updated content, including Austroads and CASANZ members, air quality practitioners and environmental regulators/approval authorities.
5. draft the research report and guideline to the expected level of quality. These must be in plain English, and provide clear, comprehensive advice.
6. work with the Austroads’ project manager and project control group to achieve the project outcomes and expected level of quality.
7. undertake the review and approvals required for publication, including addressing and responding to comments from the Austroads project control group and E&S task force.
8. Prepare and conduct a webinar on the guideline.

The guideline will be developed in collaboration with the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand (CASANZ). It will use the 2023 CASANZ GPG as a foundation, while adapting and supplementing that material for Austroads members, practitioners and approval contexts.

CASANZ contribution will include:

1. Membership of the project control group.
2. Supporting the document review process through a technical review group (the chair of which will coordinate review comments and be on the project control group).
3. Development of supporting training course materials.
4. Ensuring appropriate acknowledgment of CASANZ’s contribution.
5. Supporting the release of the updated guideline, such as through the CASANZ website and engagement with CASANZ members.

The CASANZ GPG is the most current and relevant guidance for the assessment of air quality impacts from the construction and operation of road projects in Australia and New Zealand, providing an ideal foundation for the Austroads publication update. The Austroads Guideline would be reviewed by Austroads every two years in collaboration with CASANZ and updated as required.

DELIVERABLES:

This project will produce the following deliverables:

• Project Management Plan,
• Stakeholder Engagement Plan
• Research Synopsis for supplementatry Research Report and Guideline
• Draft literature review and stakeholder engagement chapters
• Gap analysis

• Supplementary research report (documenting the supporting research and rationale for the Guideline
• Guideline
• Project data with populated metadata spreadsheet
• Webinar.

Closing date: Thursday 3 September 2026, 3 pm AEST

View documents and forum.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this project is to develop a decision support framework and evidence-based recommendations to improve accuracy, transparency, comparability, and consistency of road asset valuation across jurisdictions. The framework will strengthen the link between asset valuation, asset consumption, renewal need, funding requirements, and long-term infrastructure sustainability, supporting both financial reporting and investment decision-making.

SCOPE:

This project will investigate how transport agencies financially value road infrastructure and transport assets.

The project will examine current valuation techniques, componentisation approaches, unit rates, useful lives, remaining useful life assessments, depreciation methods, and impairment practices. It will evaluate the extent to which these approaches align with accounting and asset management standards, and their effectiveness in supporting financial reporting, investment planning decisions, and long-term sustainability. The project will identify inconsistencies, challenges, and current practice.

This project will establish a clear, evidence-based framework that aligns road asset valuation practice with both accounting standards and asset management intent across Australia and New Zealand.

The project will systematically document current valuation practices, testing their consistency, assumptions, and decision-usefulness, and identifying where accounting compliance has drifted from asset performance reality. Through comparative analysis and case studies, it will define good practice for componentisation, unit rates, estimate useful life and remaining useful lives, impairment assessments and methodolgy for financial reporting and depreciation that better reflect how road assets are actually managed and consumed.

The outputs will be practical and reusable and may include:

• a common valuation principles and decision framework,
• good-practice guidance on componentisation, useful lives, remaining useful lives, depreciation and impairment
• comparative analysis, benchmarks and case studies
• advice on techniques, procudres and practices
• policy and implementation recommendations for agencies,
• supporting guidance material that agencies can adopt or adapt to improve valuation practice and decision-making
• an asset hierarchy definition.

If a maintained product is developed (e.g. guidance notes or a reference framework), it will be owned by the sponsoring body and periodically reviewed to reflect changes in standards, practice, and evidence, ensuring it remains current, credible, and operationally relevant.

DELIVERABLES:

This project will produce the following final deliverables:

• Research report, covering an executive summary, case studies, a proposed valuation and decision-making framework
• Webinar
• Project data with populated metadata spreadsheet
• Recommendations.

Closing date: Monday 7 September 2026, 3 pm AEST

View documents and forum.