January 5th.

In Spain and many parts of the world, kids go to sleep excited because the Three Wise Men are coming with toys.

Meanwhile… in Australia… a mega-project disaster.

Hobart, 1975 – 9:27 PM

The Tasman Bridge.

A massive concrete jewel connecting both sides of the Derwent River.

Strong.

Modern.

Safe.

Until a bulk carrier called Lake Illawarra hit one of its piers.

Concrete collapsed.

Cars fell into the void without even seeing it.

Twelve lives lost.

A city cut in half for more than two years.

No one in Hobart woke up thinking that their main artery would be gone before midnight.

And here’s the point that nobody in tender rooms, board rooms or steerco meetings wants to hear:

Catastrophe has no calendar.

It doesn’t wait for a Monday.

It doesn’t avoid holidays.

It doesn’t care that your project team is at home eating roscón de reyes (a kind of giant donut we eat these days in Spain to fill ourselves with sugar).

When the crisis comes, you either:

know what to do…

Or you learn in front of the camera (with blood, chaos and reputational damage).

So let me ask you:

Do you have a Crisis Management Plan?

Do you know who speaks, what they say, and what channels switch on?

Do your partners?

Your subcontractors?

Your control room?

The agency?

In a PPP or any mega-project, this is not “nice to have.”

It’s the difference between:

A tragedy handled with dignity

Or a scandal that destroys careers… in public and private sectors alike.

Even when your Project Agreement doesn’t require it, build the plan.

Test it.

Drill it.

Update it.

Because infrastructure doesn’t fail when it’s convenient.

It fails when everyone is asleep and children are dreaming of presents.

If you’re delivering a mega-project and this email made you uncomfortable…

Good.

That means you’re awake.

For more insights about how to handle megaprojects, click below.

​Vicente Valencia Academy ​

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