Mobile Heavy Diesel Mechanics at Dreadnought.

Service Requirements at Dreadnought

Mobile heavy diesel mechanics at Dreadnought must be scoped to support an active open-pit gold mining operation where haul truck and ancillary plant availability directly governs ore movement continuity. Open-pit mining recommenced at Dreadnought in May 2025, placing immediate cyclic load demands on drivetrain, hydraulic actuation, and engine management systems across the mobile fleet — service intervals compressed by haul road dust suppression requirements and the abrasive conditions characteristic of Coolgardie-district pit floors. Focus Minerals Limited / Focus Operations Pty Ltd operates the site under a producing status, meaning unplanned fleet downtime carries direct production cost. Contractors must be scoped not only for reactive breakdown response but for structured preventive and predictive maintenance cycles aligned to the mine's operational calendar. Scope documentation should specify maximum permissible mean time to repair (MTTR) for primary haul units as a minimum performance threshold.

• Ambient temperature capability: Demonstrated service delivery in sustained ambient temperatures of 40°C, with documented procedures for peak thermal events to 44°C — minimum 24 months of prior Goldfields semi-arid site exposure within the last 5 years, evidenced by reference site records
• Fleet coverage breadth: Verified OEM-level competency across a minimum of two heavy haul truck platforms (e.g. Caterpillar 785/789 series or Komatsu 730E/830E equivalent) plus ancillary open-pit plant (graders, dozers, water carts), with technician tickets and OEM authorisation documentation submitted at tender
• Predictive maintenance integration: Demonstrated deployment of condition-monitoring or predictive maintenance systems (oil analysis, vibration trending, or OEM telematics integration) at a comparable open-pit gold or base metals operation within the last 3 years, with documented outcomes showing measurable reduction in unplanned downtime
• Shutdown participation credentials: Evidence of pre-agreed scheduled shutdown window participation — including scope planning, parts pre-positioning, and post-shutdown reporting — at a minimum of one comparable mine site within the last 3 years, with contact reference available for verification

Site-Specific Operational Constraints

Conditions procurement must communicate to all bidders in tender documentation for Dreadnought.

• Environment: Goldfields-Esperance semi-arid conditions impose sustained summer ambient temperatures of 40°C and peak events to 44°C, with high particulate loading from unsealed pit floors and haul road dust — contractors must specify heat management protocols for both personnel and diagnostic equipment, and demonstrate dust-ingress mitigation procedures for electronic diagnostic tooling used in field repair contexts
• Logistics: Dreadnought sits approximately 514 km from Perth and ~39 km from Kalgoorlie; the 514 km Perth separation makes metropolitan parts dispatch non-viable for emergency response — RFQ must require bidders to demonstrate either a Kalgoorlie-based regional depot or a documented consignment-stock arrangement covering critical wear and failure-prone components, with minimum stock holdings specified at contract execution
• Response SLA: Emergency breakdown call-out response: 2–4 hours from Kalgoorlie hub to site; extended mobilisation for specialist technicians or major component exchange: 12–24 hours maximum; scheduled preventive maintenance windows must be agreed in advance against the mine's production roster and documented in the service agreement
• Roster: FIFO/DIDO rotation compatibility via Kalgoorlie-Boulder is mandatory; contractors must nominate standby technician coverage to ensure no single-point-of-failure in on-call availability across roster changeover periods — minimum crew continuity plan required as part of tender submission
• Camp/facilities: Varischetti Village provides on-site accommodation infrastructure; contractors must confirm whether personnel will utilise site-provided facilities or operate self-sufficiently, and must specify any additional logistics (vehicle, tools, consumables storage) required beyond standard camp provision — site access and accommodation terms to be confirmed with Focus Minerals Limited / Focus Operations Pty Ltd prior to mobilisation

Contractor Capability Checklist

Minimum evaluation criteria for shortlisting Mobile Heavy Diesel Mechanics contractors at Dreadnought. Each criterion must be verifiable via documentation submitted with tender response.

• Technical certifications: OEM authorisation documentation for primary haul truck platforms nominated in scope; compliance with AS 3788 (pressure equipment in-service inspection where applicable); MARCSTA Gold Card or equivalent site access certification for all personnel deployed to Goldfields operations
• Personnel tickets: WA-recognised Certificate III in Mobile Plant Technology (MEM30219 or equivalent) as minimum trade qualification; valid WA Driver's Licence (HR class minimum) for site vehicle operation; Occupational Safety and Health Representative (OSHR) or equivalent first-response safety competency for lead technicians
• Mobilisation SLA: Documented evidence of 2–4 hour emergency response achievement from Kalgoorlie or equivalent Goldfields-Esperance hub to a comparable open-pit mine site — reference site name, distance, and response log summary required at tender
• Public Liability insurance: Minimum AUD $20M per occurrence (Certificate of Currency required with tender submission)
• Professional Indemnity: Minimum AUD $10M aggregate — applicable where contractor provides technical specification of repair scope, component selection advice, or maintenance programme design
• Workers Compensation: Full statutory cover under WA law (WorkCover WA — Injury Management Plan required and submitted with tender response)
• Site exposure: Minimum 3 years of continuous mobile heavy diesel mechanics service at an open-pit gold or hard-rock mining operation in a semi-arid Australian environment — commodity type, extraction method, and fleet size must be declared and verifiable via reference contact
• Safety systems: Documented HSE management system certified to ISO 45001 or equivalent; demonstrated ICAM (Incident Cause Analysis Method) investigation capability, with at least one completed ICAM report available as evidence upon request; current Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) for all high-risk activities within scope

Regulatory & HSE Framework

All mobile heavy diesel mechanics activities at Dreadnought are governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) and the Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 (WA), administered by WorkSafe WA. For diesel mechanics specifically, this framework imposes obligations around high-risk work licensing for plant operation, management of hazardous chemicals (including diesel exhaust fluid, hydraulic fluids, and lubricants), and confined space entry procedures relevant to fuel tank and hydraulic reservoir work conducted in open-pit environments. Contractors operating mobile workshops on site must ensure all plant and equipment meets the inspection and registration requirements under the WHS (Mines) Regulations 2022 (WA) prior to site entry. Supplier portal not publicly confirmed. Verify via Focus Minerals Limited / Focus Operations Pty Ltd corporate procurement contact. All contractors must complete site-specific induction via Focus Minerals Limited / Focus Operations Pty Ltd procedures before mobilisation.

Sourcing Qualified Contractors

No confirmed tender activity for this service at Dreadnought has been identified through public procurement channels at the time of this briefing. Procurement teams should treat this as a direct-to-market engagement and allow adequate lead time for prequalification, depot verification, and consignment-stock negotiation before operational commitment.

The regional labour pool for mobile heavy diesel mechanics in the Goldfields-Esperance region is active and centred on Kalgoorlie (~39 km from site), with multiple providers operating across the district. However, depth of capability varies significantly between generalist mechanical contractors and those with documented open-pit gold fleet specialisation — shortlisting criteria must filter explicitly for haul truck drivetrain competency and predictive maintenance integration experience, not simply trade qualification volume. The Kalgoorlie hub's proximity via Great Eastern Highway (A94) makes sealed-road parts logistics viable for planned maintenance, but emergency parts availability remains the critical differentiator between capable and non-capable regional providers. Procurement teams engaging this market should allow a minimum of 6–8 weeks for prequalification, depot inspection, consignment-stock agreement, and site induction processing before the first scheduled maintenance window.