Steve Richards

Steve is a leading expert chair/reviewer team member in assurance and Gateway reviews including program and effectiveness reviews, strategic reviews, business case reviews, pre-tender reviews, and readiness-for-service reviews. Steve has led and participated in several reviews of major infrastructure projects. This experience includes leading Gateway Reviews for Infrastructure Tasmania, supporting the Australian Government on major infrastructure projects, Gateway Reviews for NSW Treasury, Infrastructure SA, Queensland Treasury and the former Building Queensland.  

Steve is the current Chair of the New Zealand Government’s Expert Panel for New Zealand’s Infrastructure Priority Programme (IPP). The IPP assesses infrastructure proposals at key planning stages to identify high-quality projects that meet New Zealand’s strategic objectives, represent good value for money, and can be delivered. The IPP is a key part of New Zealand’s infrastructure planning framework, working alongside the National Infrastructure Strategy and the National Infrastructure Plan

Steve has also led two major assurance reviews for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission on the Transmission Gully Highway PPP project. Publicly available, (see Transmission Gully | Review | Te Waihanga and Transmission Gully Post-Construction Review | Te Waihanga), these reports made several governance, infrastructure and procurement recommendations to improve the governance and delivery of major projects. 

Steve’s other areas of expertise organisational and governance reviews, project leadership, business cases, due-diligence, major and complex procurement, and commercial negotiations.  

Select Project Experience

• Games Independent Infrastructure Coordination Authority – Led a rapid review of the Brisbane and 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Minor Venues Program by assessing previous delivery models, conducting interviews, retesting delivery model effectiveness with new evaluation criteria, and providing strategic recommendations with an implementation plan.
• New Zealand Defence Force’s Linton Pilot Project – Independent Quality Assurance Advisor for New Zealand Defence’s proposed pilot PPP accommodation project at Linton Military Camp , reviewing the application of the preferred PPP procurement model, affordability and setting up the project for success.
• New Zealand’s PPP School Expansion Programme – Independent Quality Assurance Advisor for the Ministry of Education’s PPP Schools Expansion Programme, providing expert advice on commercial negotiations, risk management, and programme governance.
• New Zealand’s PPP Expansion Programme – Independent Quality Advisor for the Ministry of Education’s PPP Schools Expansion Programme, providing expert advice on commercial negotiations, risk management, and programme governance. 
• Northern Rivers Reconstruction Program – NineSquared’s lead providing program governance and uplift advice to the NSW Reconstruction Authority for the NSW Resilient Homes and Resilient Lands Programs. 
• Inland Rail Interface Improvement Program– NineSquared’s project lead providing assurance and technical advice to the Australian Government’s $44 million Inland Rail Interface Improvement Program. 
• Assurance Reviews of the New Zealand Transmission Gully Highway PPP Project – Lead international reviewer appointed by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission to conduct Interim and Post-Construction Reviews of the $1 billion Transmission Gully Highway Project (being delivered as an Availability PPP). 
• Infrastructure Tasmania’s Gateway Review Panel – NineSquared’s lead representative for Infrastructure Tasmania’s select panel providing Gateway Review management and reporting services for high risk, high value infrastructure projects. 
• Annual Risk & Compliance Reviews for the Australian Government’s National Infrastructure Investment Program – Assisted the Australian Government with undertaking assurance and compliance reviews of major road and rail projects across Australia, including the development of a risk management framework. 
• Review of the Financial Methodology for the Queensland Government’s Development Charges and Offset Plan Scheme – NineSquared’s lead providing expert peer review advice to Economic Development Queensland on discounted cash flow methodology approaches and discount rates used to model infrastructure levies. 
• Gateway reviews– Led/participated Gateway Reviews in NSW, Queensland, and South Australia in the transport, schools, justice, health, education, water, and telecommunications portfolios covering strategic assessment stage, business cases, procurement and tender phase, and benefits realisation/readiness for service.