Queensland has opened a design-and-construct tender for a new treated-water reservoir at Mapoon.
Queensland's Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers is seeking a suitably qualified contractor to design and construct a new treated-water reservoir at Mapoon in western Cape York.
The package extends beyond the new reservoir itself, covering geotechnical investigations, survey work, demolition, structure relocation and remediation of the community's existing 1.2ML concrete reservoir.
The contract then carries through supply, delivery, construction, installation, testing, commissioning and performance testing of the new reservoir.
DLGWV has taken the Mapoon reservoir project to market
The Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced contractor under procurement reference DLGWV2026-0351.
VendorPanel lists the opportunity under reference VP523022.
The VendorPanel listing opened on 9 September 2026 and closes at 2:00pm Wednesday 7 October 2026.
A non-mandatory industry briefing is scheduled for 10:30am AEST on Wednesday 16 September.
The procurement notice asks intending briefing participants to register their attendance with the Department by 14 September.
The package starts with investigation and finishes with performance testing
The advertised scope gives the successful contractor responsibility across both design development and physical delivery.
Geotechnical investigations and surveying are required to support design of the new treated-water reservoir and provide information relevant to future upgrades of the adjoining Water Treatment Plant.
Site preparation also involves removal and relocation work around the existing infrastructure before the new reservoir can be delivered.
The contractor inherits multiple interfaces before new construction begins
This is not simply a supply-and-install tank package.
The successful tenderer must deal with existing structures, operating water infrastructure, site investigations and remediation before taking the new reservoir through construction and commissioning.
That makes integration and staging likely to be as important as the reservoir structure itself.
The existing 1.2ML concrete reservoir will also be remediated
One of the most important elements of the package is that Queensland is not simply adding new storage and leaving the existing asset untouched.
The tender specifically includes remediation of the existing 1.2 megalitre concrete reservoir.
Public tender information does not provide enough detail to define the exact repair methodology, structural defects, coating system or internal rehabilitation requirements.
Contractors should therefore avoid assuming that particular concrete-repair, waterproofing, coating or structural-treatment methods are required until the full Invitation to Offer documentation has been reviewed.
The new reservoir contract runs through commissioning and performance testing
The core construction component is full delivery of a new treated-water reservoir.
The Department's description gives the contractor responsibility for design, supply and delivery of the reservoir together with construction and installation on site.
The scope then extends through testing, commissioning and performance testing, giving the selected contractor responsibility for demonstrating that the completed asset performs as required before handover.
Investigate → design → supply → build → test → commission
That end-to-end structure makes the procurement relevant to contractors able to integrate civil, structural, hydraulic and commissioning requirements under one delivery model.
Specialist suppliers and subcontractors could ultimately support elements such as earthworks, concrete, reservoir systems, pipework, valves, access infrastructure, instrumentation and testing.
Those supporting capability areas are practical observations based on reservoir construction, not confirmation that separate subcontract packages have been released.
The investigations also support future Water Treatment Plant upgrades
The tender description says the geotechnical and survey investigations will support both design of the new reservoir and future upgrades to Mapoon's Water Treatment Plant.
That creates a useful longer-term project signal, but the wording needs to be treated carefully.
The present procurement clearly describes delivery of the reservoir project. It does not state that a complete future Water Treatment Plant upgrade is included in this D&C contract.
Queensland has separately identified resilience investment in Mapoon's water-treatment infrastructure, reflecting the importance of reliable water services in the remote Cape York community.
Remote delivery adds another layer to the contractor challenge
Mapoon is a remote western Cape York community, meaning the eventual contractor will be delivering more than a conventional metropolitan reservoir job.
Mobilisation, material transport, plant availability, workforce accommodation, site access and construction sequencing are likely to require careful planning.
Businesses considering the opportunity should assess their ability to deliver engineering and construction in remote Far North Queensland conditions as well as their technical reservoir capability.
The confirmed tender scope is particularly relevant to design-and-construct water contractors, civil contractors, geotechnical and surveying specialists, demolition providers, reservoir specialists and commissioning teams.
Supporting regional capability can also be explored through the BBI Far North Queensland industrial directory, while other live and emerging opportunities are tracked through BBI Project Watch.
Confirmed tender scope versus future project activity
- DLGWV2026-0351 is open for tender.
- VendorPanel reference is VP523022.
- The delivery model is design and construct.
- Geotechnical investigations are included.
- Surveying is included.
- An existing steel structure is to be demolished and removed.
- Two sheds are to be relocated for Council reuse.
- The existing 1.2ML concrete reservoir is to be remediated.
- A new treated-water reservoir is to be designed and constructed.
- Testing, commissioning and performance testing are included.
- Successful D&C contractor.
- Final contract value.
- Construction mobilisation date.
- Detailed subcontract packaging.
- Final new-reservoir capacity unless specified in full tender documents.
- Future Water Treatment Plant upgrade packages.
- Future WTP procurement strategy.
- Final construction and commissioning dates.
The next commercial milestone is the 7 October close
The non-mandatory briefing on 16 September gives prospective tenderers an early opportunity to better understand the procurement before submissions close.
After the 7 October deadline, BBI will watch for contract award, disclosed value, contractor appointment and confirmation of the delivery schedule.
Future WTP work should be tracked separately rather than folded into the current reservoir contract.
What BBI will watch next
Sources and primary references
- Queensland Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers — DLGWV2026-0351 Design and Construction of the Mapoon New Treated Water Reservoir Project.
- VendorPanel Public Tenders — VP523022, Mapoon New Treated Water Reservoir Project.
- Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council — community and water-infrastructure information.
- Queensland Reconstruction Authority — Mapoon Water Treatment Plant resilience investment.