Bouygues and Lend Lease sign deal

expat network

Bouygues and Lend Lease sign deal

A joint venture team of Lend Lease and Bouygues has scooped a AU$2.6bn (£1.34bn) contract for the design and construction of the NorthConnex motorway in Sydney, Australia.

The team was announced as the preferred tenderer in March 2014

Work involves the construction of a 9km twin tunnel link from the southern end of the M1 Pacific motorway to the Hills M2 motorway. The contact also includes integration of the widening of the M2 motorway.

The scheme is being developed by Transurban, which approached the New South Wales government in 2012 with an unsolicited proposal to design, build, operate and finance the link.

Source: The Construction Index

Link: http://tinyurl.com/monfjpm

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.