The New Bundaberg Hospital is moving toward its main construction phase, with CPB Contractors at the centre of delivery, bulk earthworks underway and a 470-pile foundation program now progressing across the Thabeban site.
The latest Queensland Health update confirms CPB Contractors as the preferred contractor for design and early works ahead of Stage 1 construction.
Main construction of the hospital buildings is on track to begin before the end of 2026, with lift cores and the first ground slab expected to be completed by mid-December.
The project is now entering a more construction-intensive phase: 470 foundation piles, more than 410 beds and treatment spaces when complete, and a major regional building program moving from enabling works toward vertical construction.
New Bundaberg Hospital starts its 470-pile foundation program
The most visible sign of progress is now below ground.
Around 470 foundation piles are required for the first stage of the New Bundaberg Hospital, forming the structural foundation for the major buildings that will rise above the site.
Queensland Health’s July piling information confirms the project is using both bored piles and Continuous Flight Auger, or CFA, piles.
The piles are being formed using cast in-situ concrete rather than precast driven piles, an approach selected to reduce noise, vibration and disruption to the surrounding community.
Three major piling rigs are working across the site
The piling operation uses three rigs supported by two crawler cranes.
Each piling rig weighs approximately 140,000 kilograms and stands more than 46 metres high.
The deepest pile is expected to extend approximately 39 metres below ground, while the construction program targets roughly six completed piles per day depending on weather and ground conditions.
Bulk earthworks are preparing the site for vertical construction
Piling is occurring alongside substantial bulk earthworks across the Thabeban site.
Queensland Health says earthworks are already well underway ahead of the main hospital buildings beginning construction later this year.
The current program calls for the first lift cores and initial ground slab pour to be completed by mid-December, creating an important transition from earthworks and foundations into visible building construction.
The project is moving beyond enabling works
Large-scale cut, fill, grading and site preparation are establishing the platforms required for the hospital precinct.
As foundations, slabs and structural elements progress, the construction profile should increasingly shift toward concrete, structural works, building services, façade, fit-out and specialist hospital systems.
CPB Contractors remains at the centre of the delivery program
The current contracting position distinguishes the early-works role from the future Main Works package.
CPB Contractors is currently delivering design and early or enabling works under a Stage 1 Managing Contractor contract.
Queensland Health’s latest update confirms CPB as the preferred contractor for design and early works ahead of construction of Stage 1.
The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service project page separately states that the Main Works package will be delivered under the Queensland Government’s new HIQ25 contracting framework.
The project is now moving materially closer to the larger construction phase while CPB continues to manage the current design, earthworks, utilities and foundation activity.
The project timeline is moving toward major building works
- March 2023 — hospital access road completed Early enabling infrastructure established access to the new Thabeban site.
- May 2024 — onsite early works commenced Site preparation, earthworks and enabling infrastructure moved into delivery.
- 2025–26 — design and enabling works progressed CPB Contractors continued detailed design and early construction activity.
- July–August 2026 — major piling begins Around 470 foundation piles are being installed across the Stage 1 footprint.
- Late 2026 — main construction targeted Main hospital building construction is expected to commence before the end of the year.
- Mid-December 2026 — first structural milestones Lift cores and the first ground slab are targeted for completion.
- 2031 — Stage 1 delivery Stage 1 is planned to provide more than 200 beds and treatment areas.
More than 410 beds and treatment spaces are planned for the completed hospital
The final New Bundaberg Hospital is planned to provide more than 410 beds and treatment spaces, substantially increasing regional health capacity.
Queensland Health says the completed facility will include at least 139 additional overnight beds together with expanded clinical capability.
- Clinical services building
- Rooftop helipad
- Larger emergency department
- Additional operating rooms
- Medical and surgical wards
- Acute mental health unit
- Expanded outpatient services
- Expanded diagnostic services
- Facility support centre
- Teaching and training areas
- Research facilities
- Enclosed building links
- Covered walkways
- External roads
- On-grade parking
- Associated infrastructure
That scope explains why the New Bundaberg Hospital is considered the largest health infrastructure investment ever delivered in the Wide Bay region.
Businesses following major Queensland building programs can also monitor BBI Construction Project Watch , Infrastructure and Engineering coverage.
CPB expects more than 2,500 local jobs through construction
The workforce component gives the project another major regional dimension.
CPB Contractors says the New Bundaberg Hospital is expected to employ approximately 500 people at peak construction and generate more than 2,500 local jobs during delivery.
The contractor has also identified local capability, Indigenous employment, procurement, apprenticeships and traineeships as focus areas for the project.
This makes the project particularly relevant to contractors and suppliers across Bundaberg, the Fraser Coast and the wider Wide Bay region rather than simply to tier-one building contractors.
Main construction opens a much broader contractor workstream
Once the New Bundaberg Hospital progresses beyond bulk earthworks and foundations, the range of required construction capability expands substantially.
The published hospital scope points to a major multi-discipline building program involving civil, structural, architectural, electrical, mechanical and specialist clinical infrastructure.
Queensland Health is actively directing businesses interested in project construction contracts to CPB Contractors’ procurement system.
CPB uses its Felix procurement platform to pre-qualify suppliers and subcontractors and to issue requests for quotation when goods and services are required across its projects.
The project is visibly transitioning into its next phase
Site signage now reinforces the delivery program: more than 200 beds and treatment spaces in Stage 1, more than 410 when the hospital is complete, and main construction commencing in late 2026.
The combination of confirmed contractor involvement, active foundation works and a defined construction milestone places the project firmly in its delivery phase.
Why the New Bundaberg Hospital matters beyond the health sector
The New Bundaberg Hospital is fundamentally a health project, but during construction it also becomes a major regional economic and supply-chain project.
A development of this scale drives demand across concrete, steel, electrical equipment, mechanical services, transport, craneage, plant hire, temporary facilities, accommodation and professional services.
The project also sits within a broader period of significant infrastructure activity across Wide Bay.
Regional capability can also be explored through the Wide Bay Industrial Services Directory and related Queensland supply-chain coverage .
Foundation works are setting up the transition into main hospital construction
Bulk earthworks are underway, piling rigs are operating and around 470 foundation piles are being installed across the Stage 1 footprint.
The next construction milestones are lift cores, the first ground slab and commencement of the larger main-building program before the end of 2026.
CPB Contractors’ current involvement gives the supply chain a clearly identifiable delivery contractor and an established registration pathway through Felix, while the Main Works package is identified separately under the HIQ25 contracting framework.
As the project moves beyond foundations, delivery requirements are expected to broaden from earthworks and piling into structural concrete, steel, façade, mechanical services, electrical systems, hydraulics, fire protection, specialist hospital systems, fit-out, logistics and commissioning.
The late-2026 transition into vertical construction is therefore the next major delivery phase for the Wide Bay supply chain.
What businesses should watch next
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Sources
- Queensland Health — Setting the foundations for Wide Bay’s healthcare, 6 August 2026
- Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service — New Bundaberg Hospital project
- Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service — New Bundaberg Hospital Piling Fact Sheet, July 2026
- CPB Contractors — New Bundaberg Hospital project profile
- CPB Contractors — Supplier and subcontractor registration
- Queensland Government — Major milestone for new Bundaberg Hospital