Brett Taig has found a way to stabilize the fault lines where infrastructure megaprojects so often start to unravel. His weapon of choice? Data moving like clockwork between teams.Ā
Taig is the digital engineering manager on the North East Link Program in Victoria, Australia, a freeway upgrade and new tunnel project threading through suburban Melbourneāwith a budget of more than AU$20 billion (about US$14 billion). His job is to make sure that digital infrastructure models, documents, and project data move cleanly across dozens of organizations: owners, designers, contractors, and operators. On a project this complex, each contractor is typically using their own tools and working from their own files, often with little visibility into what the others are doing.Ā
To keep thingsĀ connected and moving, TaigĀ and his team implemented a system that movesĀ about aĀ thousand digital files between the projectās teams every nightĀ into aĀ common data environment.Ā Files that the projectās teams are contractually bound to provide.Ā ThatĀ sync, powered byĀ Bentley SystemsāĀ ProjectWise software, happens automatically,Ā eliminatingĀ email chains andĀ āan army of document controllers in the middle,āĀ TaigĀ says.Ā Ā
The solution has helped maintain a single source of truth across the megaprojectās design and construction, saving significant time and money. It also breaks a bad industry habit: contractors dumping a massive file of disconnected data on the owner at the end of a project, when itās too late to act on it. āBentley was blown away that weāre using their software this way,ā Taig says, ābecause it wasnāt designed for exchanging files contractually.ā The software was built for internal collaboration, not for enforcing formal document transfers between organizations. Taigās team repurposed it to do exactly that.
Solutions from sydney
Celebrating that kind of creative problem-solving is exactly what Bentley, the infrastructure engineering software company, had in mind when it launched Illuminate, its annual conference series for the infrastructure industry. On March 19, Sydney kicks off the first of three IlluminateĀ events in 2026, with Mumbai and Berlin to follow later in the spring. The timing is good: Australia and New Zealand are in the middle of an infrastructure surge, but a skills shortage and the Brisbane 2032 Olympics are adding urgency to an already stretched industry.Ā
Illuminate brings together engineers, government officials, contractors, and technology leaders who plan, build, and manage major infrastructure projects. These are the teams building roads, power grids, water systems, and everything in between. The events are built around real project case studies and live demonstrations rather than product pitches. āThe brief to our speakers was very clear: Please donāt come in and just speak to Bentley,ā says Vivek Kumar, Bentleyās senior regional director for Australia and New Zealand. āShow where you use other technologies, show how we integrate.āĀ
The theme running through Sydney is what Kumar calls a āgolden threadā: a continuous flow of reliable data linking the design, construction, and operations phases of a project. When that thread breaks and teams are working from different versions of the same information, which is a chronic problem in large construction, mistakes multiply and the costs balloon, ultimately landing on the taxpayer. āFor years, design, construction, and operations have all been separate conversations,ā says Kumar. āWhat weāre trying to showcase now is the integrated project lifecycle ā how that golden thread can run through all three and deliver real, measurable benefits.āĀ
Bentleyās highlighting of real-world innovation is what makes lluminateĀ different, says Taig:Ā āThereāsĀ a lot of smoke and mirrors in our industry.Ā The good thing aboutĀ Illuminate is that itās real. Itās not about selling some shiny future capability ā this event is about live data.āĀ
That emphasis on live, connected data extends into the energy sector. Event speaker Jonny Breen is the digital engineering manager at Transpower, the owner and operator of New Zealandās national electricity grid, where demand for electricity and new connections is high. Transpower has spent years building a detailed digital picture of its network from aerial LiDAR, survey-grade scans, structured models, historic drawings, and huge image archives. Combined, the data is giving engineers a clearer view of what challenges they face. āWeāve reached a critical mass in our data maturity that other organizations at IlluminateĀ might learn something from,āĀ Breen says.Ā
Breen sees the potential for even greater data unification across Transpowerās asset base,Ā Ā with Bentleyās greater integration of Power Line Systems (PLS) software into its wider ecosystem an interesting step in that direction. Transpower has maintained PLS master files for its transmission lines for two decades, so Breen can now see the potential to bring line data, substation data, and secondary systems closer together within a single environment. āIf there is value in bringing those together, Transpower is in a very good position to realize it,ā he says.
A foundation of data
That data foundation also sets the stage for the eventās other central theme: artificial intelligence.Ā āOnce you have that connected data environment in place, AI becomes the natural next step,āĀ Kumar says.Ā āIt can automate tedious work, surface risks earlier, andĀ help people focus on higher-value decisions.āĀ A dedicated workshop will giveĀ IlluminateĀ attendees hands-on time with the latest AI toolsĀ āĀ andĀ serve asĀ a practical counterpoint to the hype that has swept the industry.Ā
Hands-on isĀ a defining feature ofĀ Illuminate Sydney. After the formal presentations, the conference floor opens into an expanded ExperienceĀ Centre, where Bentley specialists, partners, and users run live demonstrations across transport, water, and energy. Last year the Experience Centre proved so popular that delegates barely left it.Ā This year, Bentley has given it a bigger, two-hour slot in the program.Ā āItās great, to go in and see how they want us to use the tools, but maybe give them a few tips, too,ā says Taig.Ā āItās an interaction.āĀ
A separate invitation-only Executive Forum will bring together more than 30 senior leaders from engineering firms, contractors, utilities, and government. They will discuss the value of data, the future of AI in the industry, and Bentleyās own technology roadmap.Ā
The same spirit, adapted for different markets, will carry through to Mumbai and Berlin. In India, the conversation willĀ centerĀ on the governmentās Viksit Bharat 2047 ambition:Ā a push to build aĀ US$30 trillionĀ economy by the countryās centenary. Success willĀ requireĀ a dramatic expansion of transportation, water, and energy infrastructure. In Berlin, three days of sessions willĀ addressĀ the practical realities of buildingĀ betterĀ andĀ smarter in a European context, with a focus on interoperability, data quality, and collaboration across disciplines.Ā
āWe have a collective responsibility as an industry to make sure infrastructure is built in a way that is sustainable and achieves the outcomes we set out to achieve as a community,āĀ Kumar says.Ā āAndĀ to ensureĀ we learn from each other.āĀ
Illuminate Sydney 2026 takes place on March 19 at The Fullerton Hotel, Sydney.
FAQ:
The golden thread is a continuous flow of reliable data that connects the design, construction, and operations phases of a project. By maintaining a single source of truth, teams avoid working from outdated information, which reduces errors and prevents project costs from ballooning.
AI is only as powerful as the data beneath it. Establishing a connected data environment creates a foundation that allows AI to move beyond hype and deliver practical results, such as automating tedious tasks, surfacing project risks earlier, and helping teams focus on high-value decisions.
Illuminate 2026 focuses on real-world innovation and live data rather than theoretical product pitches. Held in Sydney, Mumbai, and Berlin, the series brings together global experts to share case studies on how connected data and better integration solve modern infrastructure challenges and labor shortages.
