Set to open its doors in 2018, the new Northern Beaches Hospital encompasses a large integrated emergency department, state-of-the-art intensive care and critical care units, and a modern inpatient mental health facility.
When Star Group won the $65 million contract to provide the Electrical and Communications Services for the new hospital, they chose to partner with Optical Solutions Australia to supply all of the cabling for the project.
“OSA didn’t just win the tender on price,” says Darren Brackley, Senior Project Manager at Star Group, “they actually came up with a better solution for the project.”
“The hospital operator, Healthscope, had originally put out to tender for supply of UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cable, but OSA advised it was actually better to use shielded cable in a healthcare environment due to the the type of medical equipment the hospital would be using. And although this type of cable costs slightly more to install, the cable actually costs less. This means a better cabling solution could be provided for the specific requirements of the client…at no additional cost.”
For Star Group’s design and construction of all Electrical, Communications, Audio Visual, Security, Nurse Call, Lighting Control, DAS, Lightning Protection and High Voltage Services for the new hospital, Optical Solutions Australia needed to supply over 350 000 kilometres of copper cabling, 10,000 kilometres of fibre optic backbone, 1700 jacks and plug patch leads, as well as the specific tooling required to terminate the jacks.
“OSA always kept us fully updated throughout the job, from the draw down on bill of materials, to feedback regarding lead times for ordering materials.
“If there were specific items that required a longer lead time they were very proactive in informing us when we needed to order these items in to ensure they were always ready on time.
“If we had any issues onsite they would go back to the manufacturer and provide assistance for us. If any change in product had occurred between time of the tender and the actual supply they sorted it all out for us. They understood the guts of tender right from the start of the project and were very proactive throughout, following everything up and ensuring all of the product was delivered on time.
“From a distribution perspective they really are second to none, which is absolutely crucial on projects of this size.”
Because Star Group had worked with Optical Solutions Australia on a variety of projects before, Darren knew they could rely on OSA to deliver.
“The sales team at OSA are always there to assist. They are a small team but very efficient and on the ball. Their real understanding of the latest technology saves us a lot of time. And they also know all the right people to talk to.
“At the end of the day OSA have a very well deserved reputation for forming better and closer relationships. Other suppliers just supply the material and leave you to it, whereas OSA assists you with technical support.
“For this new Northern Beaches Hospital Project OSA have played a major role in enabling Star Group to deliver a solution that is not only on time and on budget… but is also an all round better solution for the end user.”
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“Working with the team at OSA ACT produced excellent results. Through their established partnerships and technical know-how, our team and the team at OSA were able to engineer a working solution for the testing of the new fibre optic network infrastructure at Parliament House Australia that exceeded all expectations. The relationship with OSA enabled the department to employ financial diligence and successfully complete the comprehensive testing requirements ahead of time and with total accuracy and confidence.”
IT Director, Australian Parliament House
“Partnering with OSA gives us a huge advantage. I’m confident that we will continue to rely on Dennis and his team. Their knowledge of the products and their commitment to servicing the customer are second to none.”
Director, MDE
“We’ve been working closely with OSA to make sure delivery schedules are being met, the right products are being sourced and installed and even commissioning the services. OSA has helped us to make sure we deliver the best solution we can to our clients.”
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