Turning infrastructure into opportunities 

Enabling major projects to secure approvals, reduce risk and deliver credible local outcomes. 

Hughes et al works upstream with infrastructure, energy and resources projects, government and regions to plan, activate and defend local workforce and procurement outcomes. 

Early engagement reduces delivery risk, strengthens approvals confidence and enables measurable local economic outcomes. 

Our Clients

10

Project owners

20+

Tender involvements

8

Delivery contractors

6

Economic bodies

2

Community ecosystems

The Challenge

Major projects operate under increasing scrutiny to deliver real local jobs, procurement and community outcomes while timelines, budgets and approvals pathways remain fixed. 

When local content is addressed late or treated as a compliance exercise, projects face material risk including approval delays, delivery disruption, reputational damage and loss of social licence. 

How Hughes et al Changes the Outcome

Hughes et al helps projects get local content right early. 

By working upstream of delivery, we support project owners, contractors and government to design local content strategies that are realistic, defensible and deliverable at scale. 

Our work reduces downstream risk, improves approvals confidence and supports smoother delivery across complex project environments. 

Our Approach

Strategy 
Early planning aligned to project needs, regional capability and regulatory requirements. 

Intelligence 
Market, workforce and supply chain intelligence that ensures commitments are credible and achievable. 

Activation 
Practical implementation through systems, reporting, Jobs Hubs and ongoing assurance. 

Our Services

Why Hughes et al

  • We understand the operating environment of both project owners and contractors.

  • Create customised digital environments for active client participation and co-design.

  • Form collaborative frameworks that tackle shared resourcing challenges.

  • Exclusively focused on regional projects and community benefits.

Follow us to find out more

A cityscape during sunset with industrial buildings, houses, and smokestacks in the background, and grassy hills foreground with some trees.

Meet the Team

  • Ben Hughes - Industry Participation Local Content Specialists

    Ben Hughes

    Managing Director and Principal

  • Jacqueline Lawton

    Jacqueline Lawton

    Local Industry Participation Officer

Case Studies

Logo of localbuy with the tagline "Pre-Qualified Supplier".
Cover page of a guide titled "Project Directors Local Content Guidance Note," featuring a light blue background with illustrations of a windmill, buildings, trees, a tractor, people, and various office and community scenes, along with a dark blue, orange, and green title banner.

Local Content Best Practice Guide

Download our Local Content Guidance Note, referenced in the Commonwealth Government Procurement report (2022) as best practice for delivering credible local workforce and procurement outcomes.

The guide outlines practical approaches to designing, implementing and reporting local content strategies across complex infrastructure and resource projects.

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