Setup & Grow in Australia.
01.
THE CLIENT
Elecnor
With nearly 60 years of continuous growth and a presence in more than 50 countries, Elecnor has become one of the most outstanding Spanish business groups and a benchmark in the infrastructure, renewable energy and technology sectors.
Founded
1958
HQ
Madrid, Spain
Company Size
10,000 + Employees
Industry
Facilities Services and EPCM
Specialties
Electricity, Water, Power Generation, Installations, Gas, Wind Energy, Photovoltaic and Solar Power, Hydroelectric PowerAbout The Project
One of Australia’s inaugural large-scale solar PV projects, the Moree Solar Farm, is one of the largest solar power plants in Australia and the first that uses mechanical devices (trackers) to continually orient its solar panels with the sun to increase their power output each day. This 56MW facility attained Australian government support through an ARENA grant of $101.7 million, and loan from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).
This project is owned and developed by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), who is a leading global operator specialising in the complete management of solar assets for the generation of electricity using the sun as the source. Its activities are focused on the development, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of solar plants.
FRV turned to Elecnor to be their trusted EPCM contractor in executing this ground-breaking project to power nearly 24,000 NSW homes. Recognising the scope of this project, Elecnor used their local subsidiary, Green Light Contractors to implement The Moree Farm Project.
As a long withstanding partner of Elecnor, the Polyglot Group was depended on to provide solutions to their Australian Green Light Contractors subsidiary. As experts in the Energy and Infrastructure industry, we were thrilled to be their partner in this remarkable project, and confident we could deliver solutions for their every need.
"Polyglot Group was very quick in understanding our needs, their response was efficient, they presented great people, with the right technical skills and culture fit. Their Employment Outsourcing solution made us save a lot of time and money!" Pedro Fernandez – Project Manager, Moree Solar Farm
02.
THE CHALLENGE
The Hiring of Senior Talent.
Elecnor’s Moree Solar Farm gave rise to a number of needs across a number of areas. Firstly, Elecnor had recruitment needs, as they required a local management team. Sourcing this was challenging for Elecnor due to the fierce competition for talent in the renewable energy sector. The project’s remote location added further difficulty to fulfilling their recruitment need, as employees needed to be willing to fly in and out of the location. The project was also limited to a specific duration, yet Elecnor hoped to retain great talent for the possibility of follow-up projects in the future.
Compliance in Employing the Team.
Another of Elecnor’s primary concerns was ensuring compliance with HR obligations under Australian law. Given that employees ranged from engineers to worksite security officers, the nature of each contract would be different from the next. The range and complexity of the contracts meant Elecnor needed help to ensure each and every one of them were compliant with Australian law. They thereby required assistance in organising lawful payment of wages, insurances, taxes and superannuation. Overall, they required holistic help right across employment arrangements, including organising the roster and arranging employee’s leave.
Certainty of Employment Costs.
Australia has one of the highest rates of employment costs in the world. Forecasting these costs was one of Elecnor’s key requirements, as they needed to be aware of the likely employment costs in order to accurately predict revenue and ensure the budget would be adhered to.
Management of the Fly-In / Fly-Out Circumstance.
Due to the project’s remote location, Elecnor was required to resort to a FIFO scenario, which gave rise to further complexities. Elecnor needed help in making arrangements around this circumstance, including the organisation of affordable local accommodation for employees.
03.
OUR SOLUTION
Acquired Top Talent for the Team
As part of our Employment Outsourcing solution, we sourced ideal talent for Elecnor’s specific requirements. Our Global Head of Energy, Storage & Infrastructure, Jan Rieche, has over 10 years of experience in managing renewable energy, environment, energy efficiency and infrastructure projects. With this expertise, Jan was able to utilise his international network to attract the right team for the specific duration of the project. As part of our Employment Outsourcing solution, The Polyglot Group arranged the employment of the entire Australian workforce. This included both FIFO white-collar staff (HSE supervisors as well as commissioning, electrical, civil and mechanical engineers) as well as local blue-collar staff (such as warehousing, transport, security and cleaning staff).
Created Employment Contracts & Ensured Compliance
As with most other construction projects, the employees were classified under several different Fair Work Awards, which mandated different pay schedules for salary, superannuation casual loading, amongst other arrangements. We negotiated all employment contracts and we took full employment responsibility for these contracts. Through expertise and in-depth research around HR obligations, our Employment Outsourcing solution ensured that Elecnor was fully compliant. As a P.E.O (professional employer organisation), The Polyglot Group was the employer of record, meaning we were wholly responsible for each and every employment contract. To ensure employment obligations were being adhered to, Jan flew into Moree Farm to make quarterly site audits and ensure due diligence.
Certainty of Employment Costs
The Moree Farm project gave rise to several different employment contracts with individual durations. In managing the ambiguity around the total cost of labour, the Polyglot Group provided frequent forecasts into the future costs of employment contracts. As a result, Elecnor was able to closely monitor and predict their spending, ensuring the expected revenue was created and the budget was adhered to.
Management of FIFO (On-Site) Staff
The Polyglot Group took complete responsibility for managing the fly-in-fly-out status quo for Elecnor and their team. To ensure smooth and easy arrangements, The Polyglot Group undertook all of the research as well as helping with the sourcing and booking of accommodation and flights.
04.
THE RESULTS
The Polyglot Group recognised that The Moree Solar Farm project came with its own set of individual difficulties. These particular challenges included its remote location, the competition for experienced talent, the high labour costs and the need to create a number of different contracts under multiple awards. In response to these unique challenges, we were able to tailor our Grow Bundle to provide the right solutions for Elecnor’s circumstances.
The Moree Farm’s complexities did not hinder Elecnor’s endeavours, as we took care of all of their concerns, allowing them to focus on the project at hand. With our help, Elecnor gained access to the very best talent in the industry (and even went on to hire this talent as permanent staff for their next project!). Elecnor did not waste any time in researching obligations, creating contracts, or managing the FIFO circumstance. Overall, our solution provided a cost-effective way for Elecnor to feel secure in the operation of their project.
