On 16 May 2025, the Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) wrote to councils to advise of forthcoming changes to the way NSW delivers its responsibilities under the Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
From 1 October 2025, the RA – working in partnership with NSW Public Works (NSWPW) and Transport for NSW (TfNSW) – will assume central responsibility for the administration, oversight and assessment of Essential Public Asset Reconstruction (EPAR), including Emergency Works (EW) and Immediate Reconstruction Works (IRW). While TfNSW and NSWPW will continue to provide technical and engineering support to councils, the RA will lead the coordination, assessment and funding of all EPAR, EW and IRW claims.
A detailed transition plan is being developed to support this change and to strengthen systems, processed and resourcing arrangements. One key area of work underway is the development of benchmark rates for common road reconstruction treatments to help streamline EPAR application and assessment processes and reduce approval timeframes.
To support this, the RA has engaged NSWPW to assist with the development of NSW Benchmark rates. These will be made available to councils as an optional tool to support the preparation of EPAR costings following natural disasters.
NSWPW are now seeing input from your council on unit rates for typical road treatments – including sealed and unsealed road surfaces, as well as drainage structures – to help inform this work.
NSWPW are requesting a copy of your capital works estimation spreadsheet that have unit rates developed from previous actual costings, other any unit rates costings that you may have for the following items;
- Flexible pavement repairs; eg in-situ stabilisation, granular overlay, foamed bitumen, pothole repair, edge repair, crack sealing
- Rigid pavement repairs
- 2 coat Sealing, Asphalt various depths
- Unsealed road formation grading
- Gravel resheeting, various depths 100mm, 150mm etc
- Roadside table drainage regrade
- Pipe/headwall drainage works: pipe cleaning, pipe replacement (all typical sizes).
- Roadside furniture replacements: sign on post, linemarking; guardrail, guardrail end treatment, guideposts
- Debris clearing
- Earthworks; excavate and remove or import and compact
- Concrete repairs; grouts, reinforced, kerb
- Scour / rock protection, pitching, gabion etc
NSWPW understands that this list is extensive, but wish to get any of these items that you may already have in your estimation tools .
Your participation in this consultation is important to ensure the benchmark rates reflect a realistic and consistent understanding of post-disaster reconstruction costs across NSW.
The timeframe on this project is quite tight, so if Councils can have your unit rates back to us as soon as possible, or by 14th July , that would be appreciated.
NSW Public Works Project lead – Michelle Viola 0447 816 338 or michelle.viola@pwa.nsw.gov.au , or any of your local NSW Public Work team.
If you have any questions regarding the DRFA reform process, please reach out to drfa.queries@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au ,
