Wellington City Council is overwhelmed with construction projects and its CEO suggests there needs to be fewer open tenders for them.
The council's City Strategy Committee debated cost overruns on major projects including the Town Hall, St. James Theatre, and The Prince of Wales/Omāroro reservoir as they examined council's quarterly indicators.
Council CEO Kevin Lavery said his staff was being thrust into project management roles with the council's growing list of construction projects on the books.
Five years ago 20 per cent of the city's budget was consumed by capital projects such as strengthening work and construction but today its share of the budget had almost doubled, Lavery said.
"Maybe in five years' time it'll be 50:50. We are becoming more of a project management organisation," Lavery said. "We need to look at things like long-term strategic partnerships with construction firms."
Property Council CEO Leonie Freeman said picking a long-term developer early on could work better on large, complex projects.
Rather than councils and governments doing the design work then tendering for a construction firm to build it, tendering for a developer at the beginning could secure expertise and better outcomes, she said.
"It's still a competitive process, you just get it early on."
Wellington City Council struck deals with developers between 1993 and 2016 for prime waterfront and CBD developments, many with developer Willis Bond.
During the City Strategy Committee meeting on Tuesday morning Lavery pointed to another "no tender process" Willis Bond deal, one to build a convention centre as a model for how the process could work.
Under that deal council bought two parcels of land on Wakefield and Cable St for $21.5 million with the condition that developer Willis Bond would be the firm selected to build it.
Although the exclusivity of the deal was criticised by Sir Peter Jackson and the Property Council, Lavery said it was tracking well.
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester said at the time the council wouldn't have secured land for the centre without it.
"It was partnership or nothing ... there were no other options."