GIICA industry briefing signals next step for Brisbane Olympics projects

The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA), which is responsible for the delivery of 17 new and upgraded sporting venues for the Games, issued a briefing to the industry last week providing updates on the status of some of these projects.

An ‘expression of interest’ (EOI) process for preparation of an integrated master plan for the Victoria Park precinct has recently concluded. This part of the program includes the new main stadium, National Aquatic Centre and Brisbane Athlete’s Village, involving technical site investigations, planning and design activities to support infrastructure delivery.

Recent developments

At an industry briefing on 1 August, GIICA provided some significant updates:

• an EOI process is open until 15 August for a delivery partner to assist GIICA with a broad range of technical, program and contract management services to deliver its portfolio of new and upgraded venues. GIICA currently expects to issue a ‘request for tender’ (RFT) in September and to make an award in late 2025;
• EOI processes for principal architects for the new main stadium and the National Aquatic Centre will commence this month, with RFT processes from October and awards from December; and
• ‘early contractor involvement’ (ECI) for the new main stadium and the National Aquatic Centre is anticipated to begin in September.

Lendlease and the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association (RNA) will lead planning for the Brisbane Showground precinct, to include an Athletes Village and arena and other upgrades.

According to the GIICA’s earlier 100-day review, early site works for the stadium should commence by no later than June 2027.

The delivery partner announcement is of particular interest. This was the model used for the London 2012 Olympics. Pinsent Masons advised the London Olympic Delivery Authority on a range of infrastructure law matters for those Games and continued to advise the successor body, the Legacy Development Corporation, on securing the London 2012 Legacy. Pinsent Masons construction experts Nicole Whitby and Colin Fraser recently addressed the annual Society of Construction Law conference in Brisbane on the challenges associated with delivering large programs of infrastructure in the context of a successful London Olympics and the upcoming Brisbane Games.

The successful delivery partner in London was a consortium made up of CH2M Hill, Laing O'Rourke and Mace. Bechtel has recently performed delivery partner roles on the new Western Sydney Airport and on the Perth Airport upgrade project. We would expect similar organisations will line up for this role.

The market has been speculating for some time that the main stadium at Victoria Park will be delivered by way of a public-private partnership (PPP). However, the PPP model may not readily fit within the main scope of the delivery partner, and the announcement of an ECI process does not sit obviously within a traditional PPP structure. We will watch with interest in the coming months as the GIICA’s preferred procurement models begin to emerge.

EOI processes for principal design work for the new indoor sports centre in Moreton Bay, the new indoor sports centre in Logan, upgrades to Sunshine Coast Stadium and upgrades to Barlow Park in Cairns have also recently concluded. GIICA currently expects RFT processes from September and awards from October.

A ‘registration of interest’ (ROI) process for the delivery of design and construction services across the entire GIICA portfolio of new and upgraded venues is open until 15 August. GIICA will use this process to understand capacity across Queensland to deliver its projects, which will assist in formulating a pipeline, including packaging and staging.

The challenges

Alongside stadiums, arenas and venues, upgrades to rail and highways have been committed to. The total cost of the infrastructure program is A$7.1 billion (approx. US$4.670 billion), with the cost being split between the Australian Commonwealth government and the Queensland state government under a recently renegotiated funding arrangement.

Despite the hard stop date for the completion of all projects of July 2032, limited funds have been provisioned by the Queensland state government for expenditure in 2025-2026.

Sean Henderson, a Brisbane-based expert in infrastructure procurement and delivery at Pinsent Masons, said: “These extensive Olympic projects will present procurement, cost, time and workforce challenges.”

“These projects are under a national and international spotlight, and public interest will only intensify as the games approach. Head contractors must act now - not later - to assess procurement strategies, delivery capacity, and logistical constraints,” he said.

“The combination of a finite workforce, a competitive market for contractors and subcontractors and a hard delivery deadline means early planning and procurement decisions will be critical to success. The recent GIICA announcements suggest progress is being made on the public sector side.”

Brisbane

The centrepiece of the Brisbane Games will be a new 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park at an estimated cost of A$3.78bn.

This new stadium will pave the way for the existing Brisbane Cricket Ground, colloquially known as the Gabba, to eventually be demolished – so it could be that the Olympic T20 men’s and women’s finals will be the last games of cricket played at that historic ground.

After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the new stadium has been earmarked to host AFL, test cricket and major entertainment events and to be the home ground for the Brisbane Lions, Brisbane Heat and Queensland Bulls.

The existing Centenary Pool site in Spring Hill will receive a major upgrade and become The National Aquatic Centre and Precinct. The current plan by the Queensland government is for it to be a 25,000-capacity stadium for aquatic events during the games, before the removal of temporary seating reduces it to a permanent capacity of 8,000.

An Athletes Village will be located at the Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills, selected because of its proximity to Brisbane’s Central Business District (CBD) and connections to public transport. The site will host more than 10,000 athletes and team officials during the Olympics and more than 5,000 during the Paralympics, before being converted to permanent housing following the events. The Showgrounds arena itself will also be upgraded to seat 20,000.

Queensland’s Tennis Centre has also been earmarked for a major upgrade, with a 3,000-seat arena and 12 match courts. The venue already contains the Pat Rafter Arena, a 5,500-capacity arena that hosts the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament each year.

The Logan Indoor Sports Centre will host multiple sports, including badminton, basketball, netball, volleyball and, for the first time in Olympic history, futsal. The venue will receive an upgrade to its facilities and to make it accessible for parasports. The Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre will also be built to help host indoor sporting events.

Both the Anna Meares Velodrome and Brisbane SX International BMX Centre have been allocated funding for the event, ahead of the UCI MBX World Championships in 2026 and the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2030.

The Brisbane International Shooting Centre will have its capacity increased with temporary facilities for the event.

A parasport facility is also proposed within Brisbane at the Chandler Sports Precinct.

Brisbane Live is now envisaged to be at Woolloongabba and be delivered by the private sector through a market-led proposal. This is now outside the state and Commonwealth funding commitments.

Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast will be the site of its own Athletes Village, within the Maroochydore City Centre.

Sunshine Coast Stadium will also receive an upgrade, expanding its size from just over 1,000 seats to 10,680 – with  planned uses after the event to include NRL matches and community events.

An upgraded Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre has also been earmarked to allow for increased training and recreational use.

Gold Coast

The Gold Coast will also benefit from increased infrastructure investment heading into the games, with its Athletes Village set to be located in the Royal Pines Resort. It will include a training facility alongside a residential development.

Hockey events will be hosted at the Gold Coast Hockey Centre, which will receive an upgrade funded by the City of Gold Coast.

A long-mooted Gold Coast Arena is also planned with a 12,000-seat capacity, which will be capable of hosting entertainment and sporting events. The venue has been in limbo for over a decade after it was first proposed because of the cost of hiring stadiums within the city.

Other venues

The City of Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, will be the site of a new indoor sports centre that will host community sport following the events.

A whitewater centre will be built in the Redlands, which will host certain water-based sports during the Games. Rockhampton will also receive an upgrade to its rowing facility at the Rockhampton Fitzroy Rowing Club.

Barlow Park in Cairns will receive major upgrades, expanding its capacity with a 5,000 seat grandstand.

Toowoomba will also host upgrades as it is earmarked to host equestrian events, with new arenas, facilities and a cross-country course proposed.

Other infrastructure

In addition to venues and villages, the Queensland government has also announced various upgrades to the Bruce Highway to the value of A$9bn; the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project; and a new direct heavy rail line from Beerwah to Birtinya on the Sunshine Coast. Procurement is well under way on a number of packages for these projects. This is in addition to the existing Cross River Rail project and Queensland Train Manufacturing Program.

Queensland state budget

In the Queensland state budget for 2025-26, released on 24 July, the state government pledged:

• A$4.7bn to implement the 2032 Delivery Plan in relation to Olympic venues and villages; and
• A$145.5 million in expenditure for the delivery of venues by GIICA in 2025-26, subject to government investment decisions following completion of project assessment activities undertaken by GIICA – including A$84 million for capital grants, excluding local government contributions, to deliver the first venue projects approved for procurement.

With just 3% of the provision for the 2032 Delivery Plan budgeted to be spent in 2025-26, it will almost certainly be a year for consulting, procurement, planning and design rather than breaking ground.

Head contractors need to assess their capacity, workflows, and procurement strategies immediately – not  only to meet delivery demands but to navigate logistical constraints, planning approvals, and potential industrial relations risks.

With multiple Olympic venues scheduled for concurrent delivery in a constrained market, the pressure on procurement timelines, workforce availability, and delivery sequencing will be unprecedented. The unforgiving deadline of the 2032 Games demands a level of foresight and coordination that many market participants may not have previously encountered. As a result, early, strategic action is not optional, it's essential.