SMEC Holdings Limited (formerly Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation) is an Australian based-firm that provides consulting services on major infrastructure projects around the world. SMEC undertakes feasibility studies, design, tender and contract management, construction supervision and project management. The company provides engineering services for transport, hydropower and energy, water and environment and resources projects. Its head office is located in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. Founded by the

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Executive (government), executive government of Australia, a federalism, federal Parliamentary system, parliamentary con ...

, since 2016 it has been a subsidiary of

Surbana Jurong Surbana Jurong Private Limited is a Singaporean government-owned consultancy company focusing on infrastructure and urban development. It was formed in June 2015 with the merger of Surbana International Consultants and Jurong International Hol ...

Background

Between 1949 and 1974 the Snowy Mountains Authority (SMA) undertook a massive hydro-electric and irrigation project, the

Snowy Mountains Scheme The Snowy Mountains Scheme, also known as the Snowy Hydro or the Snowy scheme, is a hydroelectricity and irrigation in Australia, irrigation complex in south-east Australia. Near the border of New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

, in the

Snowy Mountains The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", is an IBRA subregion in southern New South Wales, Australia, and is the tallest mountain range in mainland Australia, being part of the continent's Great Dividing Range, a cordillera syste ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. The work included sixteen dams, seven power stations, of tunnels, of aqueducts, and much other construction. It was completed on time and within budget. The work showcased Australian engineering, and in the 1960s the SMA was given projects in Thailand, Sabah, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.

History

In 1970 the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) was established to preserve and market the expertise that SMA had acquired. Many of the early projects were funded by the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB). By 1991, the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) was a public company with 220 staff. The company was wholly owned by the Government of Australia, and provided engineering consulting and project management services around the world. SMEC became a Commonwealth Government owned public company in 1989, and in 1993 SMEC was sold by the government in a

management buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...

. In August 2016 SMEC was implicated in alleged corporate bribery incidents in both

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and the Congo, after the firm sought to secure multi-million dollar contracts in those countries. In August 2016, SMEC was bought by Singapore-based

for around $400 million.Surbana Jurong acquires SMEC
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Railway Gazette International ''Railway Gazette International'' is a British monthly business magazine and news website covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by tran ...

References

{{Authority control Companies based in Melbourne Consulting firms established in 1970 Consulting firms of Australia 1970 establishments in Australia