Engineering consultancy Beca partners with Adam Goodes' iDiC
Independent professional services firm Beca has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Indigenous supply-chain consortium iDiC to advance its infrastructure capabilities.
The Adam Goodes-founded Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium has formed a strategic partnership with independent design and engineering consultancy Beca to help increase representation among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned companies in the delivery of long-term infrastructure projects. Beca joins Boeing, Arup and Fujitsu among other large companies as one of twelve iDiC strategic partners.
“Supporting the growth and development of Australian communities is already a cornerstone of our business, but it’s critical to be partnering with iDiC to commit to supporting and nurturing Indigenous owned businesses,” Beca’s Australia Managing Director Craig Lee said. “We also have a lot to gain from purchasing from Indigenous businesses beyond products or services. Sharing of knowledge and culture shifts the paradigm.”
The Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC) was established by Adam Goodes in 2016 as an Indigenous supply-chain aggregator and business consultancy following the dual Brownlow medallist’s distinguished career in football, which was cut short by an ugly stream of racism and a lack of support from the AFL.
iDiC’s 100-plus Indigenous Supply Nation certified partners include at least 30 of Australia’s top 100 companies as clients.
Beca meanwhile, headquartered in Auckland, is one of the Asia Pacific’s largest independent advisory, design and engineering consultancies with a headcount in excess of 3,400 employees spread across more than 20 offices, including in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. The employee-owned company was founded more than a century ago in 1920, and generates revenues of above $500 million serving a range of sectors.
“We want to add value where we can. That’s the best form of partnership – creating value for each other,” Goodes said. “This partnership has been deliberately considered to ensure both organisation’s needs and wants are represented. The process has also been a fantastic opportunity for Beca to better understand the cultures and experiences of First Australians and to pay respects to one of the oldest civilisations in the world.”
Already underway
The strategic partnership between the two organisations is already underway, with one of their first joint projects involving another iDiC partner, Origin Project Management, which is providing project management services to Beca on a defence safety certification and best practices project relating to Defence ‘aerodromes’ and their operators, which includes airports, airfields, airbases, and land-based or ship-borne heliports
“This is just the beginning of many long-term contracts we endeavour to partner with iDiC’s many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned and managed businesses,” said Lee, who added that the partnership was a game changer for Beca and its people who are eager to learn more and make a difference. “We envision this journey together to be lasting, sharing our goals and looking for ways to advance each other’s missions.”
In a press release, Beca and iDiC stated that they has already identified a number of areas that will immediately benefit all Beca employees, including the roll-out of an education and cultural competency training program; partnering on the development of Beca’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan; further exploration of supply chain integration; and other joint ‘go-to-market’ initiatives to deliver projects for clients.
