We are pleased to advise members that the tender process for the delivery of the Lidcombe club renovation and expansion works is complete. 

Post-COVID industry conditions have been extremely challenging for our development aspirations due to cost escalation, procurement chain delays and labour shortages in the construction sector. 

The club responded decisively and completed a value engineering exercise to bring burgeoning costs into line with our project budget. This involved some difficult but unavoidable decisions, starting with the streamlining of the project team, followed by a deep dive into the design and specifications. The aim being to reduce cost without impacting the quality of the final outcomes, which was no mean feat. 

The starting point was our project mission statement - to deliver best in class facilities for our members. This remained true and every dollar spent was reviewed against this goal. We strived to find alternative solutions which reduced the time and cost but not the wow factor. Extensive site investigations were conducted to assess the capacity and constraints of the existing building, which we then designed around as opposed to making painstaking structural changes. The result was a scheme which has revised layouts but does not compromise on the member offer.

We worked closely with the design team and our cost planners throughout the value engineering phase to successfully meet our desired project aspirations. The tender process was executed with a strong focus on mitigating risk at every stage. 

Santa brought an early Christmas gift, and our hard work was rewarded with three tender bids that were all within range of our project budget. We embarked upon the detailed assessment of the three tenders with a view to select a preferred builder. A huge thank you must go out to our dedicated and passionate consultant team, who managed to not only significantly reduce cost, but condense the construction duration by twelve months. 

Our assessment confirmed all three tenderers delivered exceptional bids, and all parties would clearly have been more than capable of delivering what is a complex and challenging construction project. Ultimately Buildcorp were the winning builder, and the club is excited to announce that we have now entered a construction contract with Buildcorp to deliver the project and turn our dreams into reality. 

We are confident in the appointment of Buildcorp, who share our vision and values of delivering best in class facilities for members. This is supported by their track record in producing excellent construction results over three decades. We are now working with Buildcorp as our construction partner with a view to commence construction by mid-2024 and anticipate the construction phase will continue for two years. 

By mid-2026 the Lidcombe club will have transformed into a vibrant new hospitality destination including a new conference and events centre capable of hosting the most elaborate events, weddings, and celebrations with seating for up to 500 guests. A new Whiskey bar will deliver traditional charm whilst a new Sports Bar will create the go to destination in the area for all sporting events. New food offers will include a Yum Cha restaurant, but rest assured your old favourites are going nowhere, with Lloyds Bistro and Vincents Noodle House both benefiting from exciting new revamps. Members will also benefit from a new and improved entertainment lounge, with the space and infrastructure to host a wider range of entertainment.

Our plans are nothing if not aspirational, and we seek to not only upgrade the inside of the club, but also to metamorphosise the John St streetscene with a stunning new façade, which will have a tremendously positive impact on the built form in the area. Finally additional car parking will be provided off Ann Street to support all the new and exciting facilities, ensuring that access to the club remains as seamless as possible, even during peak times.

As we approach the commencement of the building works, further information will be released about the timelines, impacts, progress, and the team itself, not to mention some sneak peaks at what lays in store for our members. Whilst it is inevitable that there will be some noticeable impacts during the construction process, and that temporary changes will happen to facilitate the works, please rest assured we have done everything within our power to keep this to a minimum, and our aim is to continue to provide the great levels of amenity and service that our members have grown accustomed to. 

Keep an eye on the website via dooleys.com for further information.