Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Storage Program

ADCO is proud to be the Builder of Choice for the Early Contractor Involvement Planning Phase for Defence’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Storage Program (GWEOSP) works at Defence Establishment Orchard Hills (DEOH). DEOH is a tri-service munitions storage base, located in the western suburbs of Sydney. The primary role of the establishment is the storage and distribution of guided weapons explosive ordnance.

The project will deliver 17 Earth Covered Buildings (ECBs) for explosive ordnance storage, several non-explosive ordnance stores, engineering services and supporting infrastructure. The ECBs will be sited close to maintenance, dispatch and receipt facilities to limit transport induced road shock, decrease weapons maintenance intervals and increase operational and training ordnance.

Through the ECI process, ADCO worked through several different concepts for workforce management within and adjacent to the Explosive storage area. This involved understanding the client’s requirements, operational characteristics, and environmental conditions (associated with works in and around an environmental offset area) and working with constraints to accommodate a large workforce.

The team assessed and challenged the design so that certain aspects of the licencing were addressed by the design team but not finalised. ADCO supported the process to challenge assumptions and support the design team and stakeholders to address the loose ends before works commenced onsite, which ultimately reduced design, construction and handover risks from occurring.

ADCO worked with the client’s project manager around workforce planning and logistics to provide cost considerations for different working arrangements given the operational constraints at the base. This provided the client with a means of instigating discussions around sequencing to balance the need for the works and the ongoing need for the facility to operate.

The project supports Defence’s Guided Weapons Enterprise, the development of which is a key recommendation of the Defence Strategic Review and is targeted for completion in December 2026.