Fly In, Fly Out

Fly in, fly out, sometimes abbreviated to FIFO, refers to the practice of rostering workers on shift patterns that allow them to fly in to a remote site to work for intensive periods, and then fly home for an extended break. It is favoured by resources companies when the cost of establishing and sustaining a local settlement to support the site's workforce is higher than the cost of commuting, and where employees prefer to live in their original homes rather than move to a local settlement.

In short

Fly in, fly out (FIFO) means living in a city or regional centre and flying to a remote worksite, such as a mine, for a block of shifts, then flying home for the days off.

What FIFO means in practice

While on roster, FIFO workers usually live in an accommodation village, or camp, near the site. Rosters are written as days on and days off, from even-time patterns such as one week on and one week off, to longer, compressed rosters. Drive in, drive out (DIDO) and bus in, bus out (BIBO) are the road versions. FIFO is most associated with mining and oil and gas, and is also used on remote construction projects. A 2013 House of Representatives inquiry report, Cancer of the bush or salvation for our cities?, examined FIFO and DIDO work in regional Australia.

How FIFO affects procurement

A FIFO workforce turns moving people into a set of large, linked spend categories:

• Charter and scheduled flights, sized to roster change days.
• Accommodation villages: build or lease, facilities management, cleaning and room allocation.
• Catering and village services.
• Ground transport between airports, villages and the site.
• Labour hire and contractor workforces, whose rosters must match the flights.
• Medical, security and communications services.

Because the categories depend on each other, a change in roster pattern or headcount moves flight, bed and meal numbers together. Contracts should price on actual use where possible, such as seats flown, beds occupied and meals served, with clear rules for cancellations, minimum volumes and roster changes.

Wellbeing rules shape the specification

WorkSafe WA's code of practice on mentally healthy workplaces for FIFO workers links rosters and accommodation to mental health. It notes that even-time and shorter rosters, such as eight days on and six off, are linked to better outcomes, and that workers with permanent rooms report better outcomes than those moved between rooms, known as motelling. Buyers of village and travel services can write these points into service levels, such as room allocation rules, quick check-in and quiet sleeping areas.

Help with FIFO categories

Comprara supports the sourcing of FIFO categories such as flights, accommodation and catering through its procurement delivery support service.