Poor management between 2011 and 2014 increased the project's complexity and risk and reduced the value for money, according to a 2016 Auditor-General's report.21
To begin with, Transport for NSW, rather than an independent body, did the assurance reviews of the project. This approach 'did not provide the independent assurance required for such a major infrastructure project'.22
Management of the project also departed from the planning process in the state's Major Projects Assurance Framework. Transport for NSW 'skipped two mandatory gateway reviews that could have forced it to resolve deficiencies in the project's governance arrangements and economic appraisal'.23 For example, in June 2013 the project team identified significant design issues. Yet Transport for NSW did not recognise or resolve these issues in the business case, or accurately estimate the related costs.24
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21. Audit Office of New South Wales (2016, p. 9).
22. Ibid (p. 9).
23. Ibid (p. 9).
24. Ibid (p. 15).