Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Queensland's new procurement rules

Queensland has delivered its biggest procurement policy overhaul in decades, just as the largest pipeline of public work in the State's history comes to market. The new 2026 Queensland Procurement Policy now governs around $35bn of government spending each year.

Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games sits at the centre of that pipeline. Seventeen new and upgraded venues are moving from design into construction, and the Games themselves will need thousands of suppliers.

For businesses on both sides of the Tasman, this is a unique opportunity to shape the future. Winning work means understanding rules that differ a lot from what many suppliers are used to.

The new Queensland Procurement Policy 

The Queensland Procurement Policy 2026 has five pillars.

1. Value for Queensland, delivering value for taxpayers through fair and open competition
2. Local opportunities for local suppliers, with an emphasis on small, family and regional businesses
3. Easy to do business, with simpler processes, plainer contracts and information requested only when it is needed
4. Open to new ideas, encouraging innovation and market-driven solutions
5. Practical economic, environmental and social impact, building a diverse supplier base that includes social enterprises and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses.

Social procurement is now scored in every significant tender 

The biggest change for bidders is that social value now carries real weight. For every significant procurement, agencies must include a purposeful public procurement criterion worth 10 to 20% of the total score. Each agency sets its own significant threshold (above $500k). Understanding this landscape is part of any winning strategy.

A real opportunity for New Zealand businesses

New Zealand businesses are well placed to compete for this work. Queensland and New Zealand are parties to the Australia and New Zealand Government Procurement Agreement, which aims to give suppliers from both countries an equal and transparent chance at government contracts.

For Kiwi businesses, there are several ways in:

• Set up in Queensland. A Queensland base lets you score on local benefit criteria and counts toward the State's targets
• Partner with Queensland businesses. Tier 1 contractors need specialist capability and local content. A New Zealand specialist with Queensland-based staff can offer both
• Partner with diverse suppliers. Partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and social enterprises strengthens your score on two of the 12 outcomes
• Lead with your social outcomes. Apprenticeships, inclusive employment, environmental outcomes and community value score wherever your head office sits, and many New Zealand businesses already have a strong track record in these areas
• Bring new ideas. Agencies should use outcome-based specifications and cannot require a conforming offer before accepting an alternative one, which suits specialist and innovative solutions

How we can help 

We have an Australian-based team of tendering and social procurement leaders that can help with:

• Navigating the Queensland procurement landscape:
  • We know the portals and where the work is coming from
  • We understand each entity’s different approach to procuring work.
• Putting tenders together. We help you choose which tenders to chase, manage the bid, write to each buyer's format, and turn your New Zealand track record into evidence that scores.
• Social outcomes and reporting. We build a social value offer that scores and that you can deliver, connect you with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and social enterprises, and set up local content and contract reporting ready for the 2027 supplier rating.

If you're a business looking at Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games or other Queensland Government work get in touch.