Parallels Between Civil and Mining Projects
Whether you're pouring concrete footings or stripping overburden, both activities:
- Require a bill of quantities
- Are delivered under schedule constraints
- Depend on resource planning and mobilisation
- Are costed against unit rates and productivity assumptions
- Involve contractor commitments and risk allowances
In civil projects, if a contractor slips against the tendered plan, the deviation is measurable and reportable. The same should apply in mining. If a contractor commits to move 1.2 million BCM at a defined rate, with an agreed crew, equipment fleet, and fuel burn, that is the benchmark. Controls must track performance against that standard—not reinvent it with every monthly report.
Why the Tender Works as a Benchmark in Mining
The mining tender—whether submitted by a contractor or developed internally by an owner—is no less structured than its infrastructure counterpart. It captures:
- Drilling and blasting cycles
- Excavation volumes
- Loading, hauling, and dump logistics
- Daily production targets
- Equipment deployment and maintenance expectations
- Labour resourcing and cost build-ups
These are not abstract figures—they are the core of operational delivery. So why should mining projects be monitored with anything less than the rigour applied in civil construction?
Project Controls Work—When They’re Anchored to the Tender
Project controls are not discipline-specific—they are delivery-specific. Whether you’re placing ballast for a railway line or deepening a pit, if the work is costed, scheduled, and committed to in a tender, it can and should be controlled to that same standard.
The effectiveness of project controls lies not in the sector—but in their alignment with the original promise of delivery. This is the foundation of accountability. And it’s exactly what we’ve proven in practice.
TacminMadini: Applying the Same System to Civils and Mining
At TacminMadini, we’ve long recognised that civil precision and mining flexibility are not at odds—they are complementary. By applying the same project control principles to both disciplines, we’ve helped clients:
- Deliver mine access roads, airstrips, and infrastructure to the day and the dollar
- Track overburden removal, drill-and-blast programs, and mining phases with earned value discipline
- Monitor mining contractor performance in real-time, against bid assumptions and promised outputs
- Mitigate scope drift and cost blowouts by retaining a line of sight to the tendered plan
Whether the project involves building a facility or removing rock, we treat the tender as the benchmark. From that point forward, every action, variance, and forecast is measured with the same rigour.
Conclusion: One Standard, Any Sector
It’s time to move beyond the idea that mining is too variable to control, or that infrastructure is the only place where precision belongs.
With the right discipline, the mining tender can serve as a benchmark just as effectively as it does in infrastructure. And when it does, mining projects can be delivered with the same certainty, confidence, and control.
That’s not theory—it’s proven. And it’s how TacminMadini continues to deliver across both fields, with a system that doesn’t change just because the material does.
