mining procurement

Forget the price chart, the real threat to Australian mine margins is hiding in the sulphur bill, the freight invoice and the silica assay

S&P Global’s June quarter market review shows the pressure on Australian operations shifting from what miners sell to what they spend.

By Jamie Wade on September 11, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Mineral Processing, Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, Contract Management, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Legislative Updates, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Insurance and Liability, Mines & Projects, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Pilbara, Queensland, Mount Isa, Asia, China, Indonesia
Lead, Iron ore, Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Cobalt, Precious Metals, Strategic Minerals, Gold, Lithium, Silver, Base Metals

The base case is zero. The reality is 20 per cent over. Mining’s most expensive assumption isn’t going away.

Will Kendall has a line that lands with the quiet force of something everyone in the room already knew but hadn’t quite said out loud: "Base case is cost overruns of over 20 per cent," Will says, "That’s your base case.

By Jamie Wade on August 27, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Costs, Financial Planning, Contract Management, ESG, Reclamation Projects, Regulatory Adherence, Extraction, Reserve Estimation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, North America, Canada
Iron ore, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical), Rare Earth Elements, Strategic Minerals, Precious Metals, Lithium, Gold, Copper, Nickel

The rare earths project where the mine is the easy bit

Arafura Rare Earths Managing Director and CEO Darryl Cuzzubbo told the WA Mining Club that Nolans is moving from critical minerals rhetoric to construction reality, but the real test will be processing, ramp-up, suppliers and whether Australia can help build a serious rare earths supply chain outside China.

By Jamie Wade on July 2, 2026
Safety, Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Process Improvement, Equipment Maintenance, Workflow Management, Lean Operations, Mineral Processing, Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, Contract Management, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Stakeholder Communication, Community Development Projects, Local Employment Opportunities, Sustainable Practices, Workforce, Recruitment, Training and Development, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Mine Profiles, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, North America, United States, Europe, Germany, Asia
Praseodymium, Neodymium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Industrial Minerals, Strategic Minerals, Phosphate Rock (Apatite), Sulphur, Cerium

The contractor recovery has a forward visibility problem, and the JV model is quietly rewriting how junior projects get built

There are two stories inside Grant Thornton's latest mining contractors report, and the one getting most of the attention is the wrong one.

By Jamie Wade on April 28, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Mineral Processing, Costs, Financial Planning, Contract Management, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Reclamation Projects, Regulatory Adherence, Long-term Planning, Extraction, Mineral Extraction, Reserve Estimation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, North America, Canada
Iron ore, Nickel, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical), Strategic Minerals, Precious Metals, Lithium, Gold, Base Metals, Copper