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Professional services company GHD, which is managing big projects in Canberra, including the Defence Headquarters Joint Operations at Bungendore, rejects suggestions construction in the ACT is headed for a slowdown.

Economic forecaster Access Economics warned this week that the Federal Government’s razor gang would slow public-sector spending, which in turn would cause office space construction to slow in 2009.

GHD’s Canberra manager, Robert Knott, said there were no signs of building activity slowing.

In Canberra, GHD spends about $30million a year, mostly on wages, which will rise to about $45million after its acquisition of multinational project management and consulting firm Hassall and Associates.

The acquisition will enable GHD to expand its activities in the international aid market, as well as in consulting in economics and agriculture in Australia.

Mr Knott said GHD, as a design consultant company, was normally the leading indicator of construction growth or decline, and with Actew planning to spend $300million on water infrastructure, Defence accommodation worth $600million and other Commonwealth projects, he could see no signs of a major construction downturn in the territory.

Office space in Civic was tight and the ACT Government was flush with money and was spending it, which would continue to fuel construction growth.

GHD’s recent projects have included design work on the newly upgraded National Convention Centre, and it is now working on designs for the Royal Australian Mint. It has a significant civil engineering team, which oversaw the lengthening of the Canberra Airport runway, and is involved in high-security projects for the Commonwealth.

“There is not too much happens around Canberra that we don’t have a role in, either as the project manager, designer or as an environmental adviser that’s our core business,” Mr Knott said.

2009 GHD employs more than 5500 people throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Europe.

Hassall and Associates’ international arm supports development throughout Asia and the Pacific, and Mr Knott said it was an area GHD was keen to move into, after commitments by the previous government and the Rudd Government to increase Australia’s overseas aid.

“We are in the aid business and want to be stronger. Our presence is largely in hard things, infrastructure, water. Hassall gives us a much broader perspective in the aid market. They are working in governance, in health and education, agriculture and natural resource management. They have key and complementary skills.”

GHD’s presence in Indonesia, China and the Philippines would be augmented by the Hassall team in the Asia-Pacific region.