Yamana Gold - Argentina, Brazil

Scaling-up at speed and to international best practice standards

Yamana Gold required a systemised approach to resourcing and programme management everyone could follow and that was also responsive to local needs.

Key information

Location:
Latin America
Date started:
2016
Completion date:
2016
Client type:
Mining and metals
Main services:
Programme management

Client’s requirements

To enable teams to scale-up at speed and to international best practice standards, Yamana Gold required a systemised approach to resourcing and programme management everyone could follow, that was also responsive to local needs and circumstances.

They also wanted flexible access to specialist technical expertise, to support evolving technical requirements on projects.

Our contribution

We were appointed to establish the necessary range of project controls and to provide contract support across projects, while also delivering on-the ground local insights to support the development of each mine. We focused first on the creation of a number of programme management tools, which would support stakeholders across their South American investments with subsequent roles involving procurement and contracts management in both Argentina and Brazil.

This involved locally developed, tailored best practice processes primarily focused around quality assurance and control. This included specific tools for Argentinean assets for the control and forecasting of escalation and to manage the impact of foreign exchange movements.

We also developed an integrated cost reporting process to facilitate a consolidated suite of project cost reports and provided an estimate and schedule review service to increase confidence in investment decisions.

Systems were also implemented for independent progress reviews and forecasts.

Making the difference

We maximised the efficiency of our service across varied geographies through close client engagement and effective knowledge sharing between our offices in Santiago, Buenos Aires and Săo Paolo.

Deployment of our ‘on the ground’ experts, who not only understand the local environments but can incorporate best practices, allowed Yamana Gold to understand key challenges early on in their investment cycle.

Our strong knowledge of the relevant markets and their respective construction industries allowed us to efficiently tailor solutions, meeting local industry needs while also creating the necessary levels of consistency to report centrally.