Client
Year
Project Value
Key Services
Pioneering a Smarter Approach to Energy Infrastructure
A critical component of the state’s renewable energy transition
HumeLink is one of New South Wales’ largest energy infrastructure projects, delivering 360 km of new 500 kV transmission lines and upgraded infrastructure to connect Wagga Wagga, Bannaby, and Maragle. As a critical component of the state’s renewable energy transition, the project required an innovative procurement strategy, robust stakeholder engagement, and regulatory approvals to ensure a streamlined and cost-effective delivery. E3 Advisory was engaged to provide transaction, commercial management, and regulatory advisory services, working closely with Transgrid’s integrated project team to develop procurement and risk strategies, stakeholder engagement plans, and commercial frameworks that balanced market appetite with regulatory requirements. The project faced several challenges, including the need to balance commercial risk allocation with regulatory expectations, secure stakeholder confidence in the procurement model, and address landholder concerns and environmental constraints that could impact project timelines.
To address these challenges, E3 Advisory developed a tailored procurement and delivery strategy, implementing an accelerated procurement approach and an innovative target cost contracting mechanism that aligned commercial objectives with regulatory requirements. The team provided strategic regulatory and stakeholder engagement support, leading responses to the AER’s Contingent Project Application 2 submission and ensuring clear, transparent communication with the Transgrid Board, CEFC, and other key stakeholders. Early engagement with construction contractors helped refine the contract risk profile, while the development of structured risk management processes enabled proactive risk identification and mitigation. The contract negotiation process was also a key focus, with E3 Advisory leading the development of one of NSW’s largest transmission line contracts, incorporating commercial flexibility to adapt to evolving project conditions.
Driving Confidence, Efficiency, and Transparency
E3 Advisory supported the development of a regulatory proposal and conducted regulatory and finance engagement for the Contingent Project Application 2 including development of key cost elements. Further to this, a streamlined market engagement process was developed to secure capability ahead of competing transmission line projects, ensuring the procurement approach remained aligned with market conditions and contractor appetite.
E3 Advisory also played a key role in establishing confidence in the contract model by introducing an incentivised contracting approach that balanced risk allocation with regulatory and market expectations. Through an extensive risk assessment process, the contract structure was designed to minimise the risk of reimbursable costs while maintaining commercial flexibility. Additionally, structured commercial mechanisms were developed to mitigate delays caused by landholder sentiment, geotechnical limitations, inflationary pressures, and environmental factors, providing certainty to both stakeholders and bidders. The incentivisation framework was further refined through targeted consultation, integrating KPIs and MRAs to encourage industry collaboration.
Stakeholder confidence in the novel delivery approach was strengthened through clear and accessible engagement strategies, ensuring complex regulatory and commercial matters were communicated effectively to key decision-makers, including the CEFC, AER, and Transgrid’s Board. The project was ultimately commended by stakeholders for the clarity and effectiveness of its regulatory engagement approach, reinforcing E3 Advisory’s expertise in delivering strategic advisory services for complex energy infrastructure projects.
Amber White Principal
Amber is an engineer and transaction specialist with over 17 years of experience in the infrastructure sector supporting her clients fulfil their infrastructure procurement commitments. She brings strong commercial acumen, communication and influencing abilities to the planning, monitoring and delivery phases of infrastructure projects spanning transport, water, and energy sectors. With a career spanning client side, contractor, and consultancy in Australia and the United Kingdom, Amber has worked on numerous multidisciplinary engineering design projects including More Trains, More Services Program, Pitt Street Integrated Station Development, Easing Sydney’s Congestion Program and Parkes Materials Recovery and Parkes Energy from Waste facility. Amber is passionate about ensuring the right decisions are made to achieve the best results for the community and brings this ethos to supporting her clients fulfil their infrastructure commitments.
Amber spends her weekends chasing after her two young children.
- Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management) (Hons)
- Post Graduate Diploma Commerce
Amber is an engineer and transaction specialist with over 17 years of experience in the infrastructure sector. Her experience working on the client side, contractor, and consultancy enables Amber to ensure the right decisions are made to achieve the best results for her clients and the community. Amber has strong commercial acumen and a background in working with technical and functional teams to develop technical specifications and management requirements for high profile, complex infrastructure programs. This deep experience enables Amber to support her clients fulfil their infrastructure commitments and deliver complex infrastructure and development projects.
The variety of projects and working in high performing teams overcoming complex infrastructure delivery challenges are two areas of her work that Amber finds rewarding. With a career spanning projects across Australia and the United Kingdom, Amber commenced her career in construction-based engineering roles and has built on this knowledge through working on numerous multidisciplinary engineering design projects in planning, monitoring and delivery phases. This breadth of experience combined with her strong communication and influencing abilities, helps Amber to drive the effective delivery of projects on behalf of her clients.
Amber spends her weekends chasing after her two young children.
Annie Ha Senior Advisor
Annie is a procurement, transaction, and cost advisor with four years’ experience in the infrastructure sector. She is an accomplished problem-solver who delivers lasting value for her clients by finding new and better solutions to complex issues. She was recently involved in the Northern Road Upgrade Stage 2 which provided an extraordinary opportunity to watch engineering designs come to life. Annie enjoys cooking and loves to travel.
- Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) (Hons)
- Bachelor of Commerce (Finance)
Annie is a civil engineer who specialises in procurement, transaction, and cost advice for major infrastructure projects. She has four years’ experience spanning the project lifecycle, from development to procurement and delivery. Annie loves tackling complex problems to deliver lasting value for her clients. She savours the challenge of finding new and better solutions to long-standing concerns. Annie welcomes the opportunity to learn from industry leaders on a diverse range of projects at E3 Advisory. Working on the Northern Road Upgrade Stage 2 was a career highlight, allowing her to watch engineering designs come to life.
Annie enjoys cooking and loves to travel.
Conrad Fonseca Principal
Conrad is a commercial and transaction specialist with over 25 years of experience across major infrastructure projects in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. His transaction and procurement strategy expertise are complimented by his ability to manage stakeholders, project risks and overall project management. He has extensive experience in the development of contract documentation and end-to-end transaction management for contracts on complex metro and other rail projects, including Sydney Metro City & South West, Digital Systems Program and the Parkes Special Activation Precinct. Conrad’s passion for solving problems on the largest and most complex projects, saw Conrad lead the transaction for the first competitively procured integrated station development in Australia.
On the weekend, you’ll find Conrad walking the trails around Sydney harbour or exploring one of the city’s many markets.
- Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical)(1st Hons)
- Bachelor of Science (Physics)
- Master of Economics
Conrad is a multi-disciplinary profession and Principal at E3 Advisory with over 25 years infrastructure experience. His commercial and transaction advice is founded in experiences across the project lifecycle on major infrastructure in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Conrad has worked on the delivery of projects for contractors, governments, and private sector clients where he has honed his transaction and procurement strategy expertise and his stakeholder and project management capabilities. He has extensive experience in the development of contract documentation and end-to-end transaction management for contracts on complex metro and other rail projects, helping clients position complex infrastructure project for success.
Conrad is attracted to infrastructure advisory by the satisfaction of helping clients deliver infrastructure that provides significant economic benefit. His passion for solving problems on the largest and most complex projects, saw Conrad lead the transaction for the first competitively procured integrated station development in Australia.
Ryan Matthews Senior Advisor
Ryan is an engineering and finance professional at E3 Advisory who has over 9 years of experience in the planning, procurement and delivery of large scale building and infrastructure projects. His ‘hands on’ from experiences delivering complex projects for some of Australia’s largest construction contractors has helped him advise on projects in a multitude of sectors including, residential, commercial, waste to energy, and transport infrastructure.
Outside the office, Ryan is an active type, who is typically out and about surfing, cycling or running.
- Bachelor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Bachelor of Business (Finance)
Ryan is an engineering and finance professional at E3 Advisory who has over 9 years of experience in the construction sector. With a proven background in delivering successful projects, Ryan has a strong practical understanding of the planning, procurement and delivery of building and infrastructure projects. His experience across the various aspects of the project lifecycle is complimented by his ‘hands on’ approach which comes from his experience delivering complex projects for some of Australia’s largest construction contractors. The combination of this delivery and advisory experience enables Ryan to provide transaction and delivery advice on the unique challenges faced in procuring and delivering complex buildings and infrastructure.
Ryan enjoys the wide range experiences and projects that he is involved in. His project experience cuts across a multitude of sectors including, residential, commercial, waste to energy, and transport infrastructure. It is the breadth of these experiences that Ryan finds most rewarding and consolidates into providing well rounded and trusted advice to his clients.
Outside the office, Ryan is an active type, who is typically out and about surfing, cycling, or running.
Cross River Rail Delivery Authority
Setting up megaprojects for success
Transport for NSW
Supporting economic growth through fast rail
