Unidel delivers land access management, environmental services, stakeholder management, spatial data management, technical services and project controls and contract administration.

Director Chris Gorham says “At inception, I couldn’t have imagined that Unidel would become the size it is today, with a team of 220 people operating throughout Australia and internationally, delivering a wide range of services to our energy and infrastructure clients from project inception to completion.”

Mr Gorham explains that he and his fellow directors originally established the company to meet the demands of the pipeline industry, and quickly established a strong client base servicing a range of pipeline developments and the emerging coal seam gas (CSG) sector.

Mr Gorham says that it would have been hard to predict the extent of CSG development, particularly following international interest in CSG for LNG production.

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“No doubt, our growth has an element of right time and right place, but that combination alone is rarely enough to secure ongoing development and reputation without vision, sound management and quality people and services that the industry demands. Unidel has managed to blend these elements and to become the industry player it is today without compromising our core values.”

However, Unidel’s success hasn’t been without challenges. “We’ve spent considerable time sourcing the right people from our networks across the country and the globe to meet the demands of the burgeoning CSG sector. Our effort has paid off but in the process, we’ve learnt that the skills shortage is real: what we’re going to confront during construction and production is being brought to the forefront now, and that’s something we all have to prepare for,” says Mr Gorham.

Mr Gorham indicates that Unidel’s strength in project controls and contract administration was greatly enhanced by the acquisition of Stephen Callaghan and Associates in late 2009. Mr Callaghan, now a Unidel Director, is renowned in the pipeline and broader construction industries for his knowledge and expertise in developing contracting strategies and managing sensitive contract and dispute negotiations.

“Again, our growth and breadth of service offering was developed in response to the needs of the industry. As a consultancy, we’ve had to learn to adapt to a changing landscape and for us that means our services are now being provided to energy and infrastructure projects beyond our origins in the oil and gas pipeline sector. We now work on projects as diverse as coal terminals, power transmission, gas production and processing, water pipeline and storage facilities and the national broadband network roll out, and we have people located as far afield as China.”

A key challenge for any high-growth company is managing the culture of the organisation. Mr Gorham says that Unidel prides itself on the fact that “despite our continuing growth, we have managed to maintain our focus on our core values: cooperation, respect and integrity. Ultimately, it’s these values that drive results for our clients. And, we’ll continue working to ensure that never changes”.

For more information about Unidel visit www.unidel.com.au