An innovative approach to procurement meant that our SA team and Head Contractor LendLease have significantly supported SA businesses with 91% project needs purchased locally.

Almost one million native plants grown in house for Northern Connector project

The Northern Connector Project is a six-lane, 15km motorway in South Australia. Around 80,000 native trees and shrubs were planted in 2018, with an additional 870,000 plants were planted by November 2019.

Nearly all the trees were grown at our local SA nursery located in Penfield Gardens and hand planted by our planting and watering crew. On average, our crew planted 30,000 plants per week.

Keeping it local

SA Department for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure’s official landscape specification required all landscape companies working on DPTI projects to use a Belgian soil conditioning product called TerraCottem.

We submitted the tender for the Northern Connector project and put forward a preference to use a local South Australian product known as GOGO Juice. This was the first time the DPTI approved a specification change on an infrastructure project since the TerraCottem requirement was introduced.

A total of 10L of Neutrog’s GOGO Juice solution was applied to every newly planted tree on the Northern Connector, with a total of 22,000L delivered in 1,000L shuttles.

More than 900,000 Australian native trees, plants and shrubs were planted along the 16km length of the Northern Connector as part of the $885M project.

About 900,000 shrubs and ground covers and 30,000 trees and taller shrubs will line the road, with 95% being Indigenous to the local area and grown from seeds and cuttings collected from local remnant sources.

As part of the project team led by Lendlease, we were mindful of the project’s commitment to invest in local industry during landscaping. This included seeking a change of department specification for use of a European-made fertiliser to a South Australian product, GOGO Juice, made locally in Kanmantoo by Neutrog.

This process has ensured the project continues to support local investment, with 91% of all Northern Connector Project procurement spent within South Australian businesses.