SEQ Translink contract negotiations finalised
Piper Alderman and MinterEllison have advised numerous bus operators and the Queensland Government, respectively, on the South-East Queensland Translink contract negotiations.
Firms: Piper Alderman (Bus operators: Westside Bus Co. Pty Ltd, Bus Queensland Pty Ltd, Bus Queensland (Lockyer Valley) Pty Ltd; Kangaroo Bus Lines; Mt Gravatt Bus Service; Thompson’s Bus Services; and Brisbane Bus Lines); MinterEllison (Queensland state government)
Value: Confidential
Area: Transport
Key players: The Piper Alderman team advising Westside Bus Co. Pty Ltd, Bus Queensland Pty Ltd, Bus Queensland (Lockyer Valley) Pty Ltd comprised partners Maria Capati and Andrew Rankin, senior associate Kara Pennisi and special counsel Ben Motro.
The Piper Alderman team advising Kangaroo Bus Lines comprised partners Peter Dwyer, Mark Askin and Tim Capelin, and lawyer Laura Spalding.
The Piper Alderman team advising the Mt Gravatt Bus Service comprised partners Nick Burkett and Tim Lange.
The Piper Alderman team advising Thompson’s Bus Services comprised chairman of partners Gordon Grieve and partner Josh Steele, and partner Sebastian Greene advised Brisbane Bus Lines.
Deal significance: According to a statement from Piper Alderman, the SEQ Translink Contract negotiations were the culmination of negotiations in excess of four years between the Queensland Government and Bus Operators.
Translink Contracts deal with the provision of public passenger bus services across South-East Queensland for the next seven years, the firm noted.
“All of our clients were successful in having new contracts awarded for another seven years,” partner Peter Dwyer said.
“I am very grateful for the passion and pride that all of our partners and lawyers demonstrated in achieving this great result for the firm and the respective clients as the contracts were incredibly complex.”
Also commenting on the significance of the deal, Kangaroo Bus Lines CEO Darren Webster said: “I have had a business relationship with Peter Dwyer that dates back over 15 years. KBL has been proud to have Peter and his team at Piper Alderman as our Commercial and Legal advisers for the last eight years.”
“In November 2014, Peter and his team at Piper Alderman were engaged by KBL to act for KBL in the renewal of our Translink Contract for the delivery of public transport to the Moreton Bay Region. From this initial engagement, Peter and his team advised the KBL directors on what to expect throughout this process, based on his experiences in other jurisdictions within Australia,” Mr Webster added.
“We found that Peter was very informative, professional and had a wealth of knowledge dealing with state government representatives when dealing with very complex contracts. Peter engaged with my family from the outset and advised us on what the team would be required to undertake this complex project, to which we are very grateful. Peter often spoke form the heart to our family about our options as he always had our interests at heart.
“The Webster family, Management and all the staff at KBL are very privileged to be represented by Peter Dwyer and the Piper Alderman team throughout this process in what was a very challenging procurement by the Queensland government.”
Emma Musgrave
Emma Musgrave (née Ryan) is the managing editor, professional services at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, including five years spent as the editor of the company's legal brand - Lawyers Weekly. Throughout her time at Momentum, she has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia. In addition, she has produced exclusive multimedia and event content related to the company's respective brands and audiences.
Prior to joining Momentum Media, Emma worked in breakfast radio, delivering news to the Central West region of NSW, before taking on a radio journalist role at Southern Cross Austereo, based in Townsville, North Queensland.
She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree from Charles Sturt University.
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