With only one shot at delivering a successful Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, organisers are seeking capable and experienced suppliers with a track record of delivery.
At an Australian Industry Group webinar hosted by Director of Member Services Vivienne Filling this week, those keen for a piece of the action were told of the many procurement opportunities in the lead-up to the Games in Brisbane and beyond — and how to seize them.
“Over the next six to 12 months, you will see a larger number of packages — from between $20,000 to $200 million,” Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee Director of Procurement Rob McRuvie said.
“It’s a huge opportunity, and we have one shot to get it right.”
Brisbane 2032 is set to deliver one of the largest and most exciting procurement pipelines Australia has seen, creating significant opportunities for businesses across the country, not just in Queensland.
“On a scale of participants and global reach, the Olympic and Paralympic Games is the biggest event on the planet, with an audience of over 5 billion,” Mr McRuvie said.
“Not only will Brisbane 2032 showcase our culture, environment and surrounds, but it also creates an opportunity to showcase some of our businesses and what we can do in terms of delivering.”
The event will bring 205 national Olympic Committees to Queensland.
“They'll be coming out in the lead-up to the Games to get their athletes acclimatised and accustomed,” Mr McRuvie said.
“They’ll be spending money, using services and accommodation and relying on people to drive them around, feed them and equip them.
“There are all of those opportunities before the Games even begin.”
Two agencies are responsible for infrastructure. The Games Independent Infrastructure Coordination Authority (GIICA), a statutory body under the Queensland Government, will deliver the 17 venues and stadia upgrade or stadia build, including Brisbane Stadium at Victoria Park and the new National Aquatic Centre in Spring Hill.
The Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP) will manage the three or four athlete villages — on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, in Brisbane and potentially one in Rockhampton or North Queensland.
It’s the Brisbane 2032 team, of which Mr McRuvie is part, that puts on and runs the Games.
“We like to say: ‘DSDIP and GIICA will build a stage, and we'll put on the show’,” Mr McRuvie said.
Opportunities for procurement can be found on the Brisbane 2032 Gateway website.
“You can register for free, get access to all the opportunities and respond to EOIs,” Mr McRuvie said.
“We'll be running about 1500 tenders over the next five years. With that sort of volume, we need to be able to shortlist bidders quickly and competitively and be able to get them into a tender situation.”
When registering, ensure your profile is complete.
“Those without a complete profile are the easiest to exclude, so please, take the profile seriously and complete it as much as you can, because it does make a big difference,” Mr McRuvie said.
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“The Games has a large footprint, and we want to make sure we’re good environmental custodians,” Mr McRuvie said.
“We want to work with businesses with good sustainability practices, so we can deliver a Games that is effective and fun but leaves the environment clean and green.”
His team will procure about 5million-6million items.
“Post-Games, we have to find suitable homes for those items; we won’t be dumping products into the environment or into the market,” he said.
A statutory authority under the Queensland Government, the Brisbane 2032 team complies with and works to the Queensland Procurement Policy.
That includes ensuring suppliers meet the Queensland Government Code of Conduct.
“Working with ethical and moral suppliers is important to us,” Mr McRuvie said.
“It’s also vital we work with suppliers with the right capability, capacity and financial experience, with proven delivery.
“It takes us a number of years to get to the running of the 100m final. We can't have inexperienced suppliers who, for whatever reason, don't understand the Games and forget to plug in the right cords, and we don't have the 100m final going out to a global audience."
“Do SMEs and regional suppliers get a shot? Absolutely, they do,” Mr McRuvie said.
“When it comes to the delivery of multi-sport events, infrastructure programs generally need larger suppliers to manage the bigger projects, with the support of SMEs in the supply chain.
“If you look at the Paris Games, more than 80% of supplier contracts were with SMEs. For Gold Coast 2018, it was more than 75%.
“There is absolutely an opportunity for SMEs, social enterprises, First Nations and other diverse suppliers to bid for packages from between $20,000 to $200million.
“I encourage you to download and read the EOI documents and identify whether you could complete full or partial scopes of works we're asking.
“The full scope option is for businesses who look at that EOI and say: ‘Yes, I can deliver the whole thing’.
“Those full-scope EOI registrations will be reviewed by us. They'll be the ones we consider shortlisting to tender. Typically, we take between three to five businesses through to a competitive tender process.
“If you can't deliver the whole scope but believe you still could be part of the supply chain, we want you to register as a partial scope. Your details will be included in the tender document, giving you visibility in the tender. We’ll use that information to encourage tenderers to have diversity in their supply chains.
“We’re still at an early stage of our procurement program, so if we can see there's some great suppliers in the partial scope area, we may consider breaking the packages up and looking at different ways to procure that give us more opportunity to engage at that partial scope level.
“So, if you take nothing else from this conversation, I encourage you to look on Gateway, register your profile and start looking at those expressions of interest, because over the next six to 12 months, you will see a larger number of packages being released.”
“There are many opportunities for interstate businesses to be part of what the Olympics has to offer,” our State Head of Queensland, Michelle Farquhar, said.
“The volume of work and the timelines required cannot be serviced by Brisbane and Queensland-based companies alone.
“The Olympics is a very special opportunity for businesses all around Australia to get involved.”
There are many ways SMEs who want a piece of the Brisbane 2032 action can prepare.
“Think about your reputation,” Ms Farquhar said.
“Trust is built over time, so if you want to get into this space, your brand and your reputation regarding reliability and quality are critical.
“Make sure they’re rock solid — and visible: on social media and via your website, which needs to reflect the calibre of the kind of organisation you are.”
Mr McRuvie agreed.
“If you don't have a website, we start to question your professionalism,” he said.
“Also, understand where you fit into the supply chain and learn how to tender properly.
“More than half the tenders I receive are terrible and easy to kick out.
“Get it right by answering all the questions, completing the tender in full and providing the right documentation. That applies to any contract work.”
“Being part of the Games is really cool, but it's a high-risk program that's fairly complex,” Mr McRuvie said.
"It’s not for every supplier, and if you're chosen but not delivering, it’s within our contractual rights to find someone else. We won't bother negotiating, and we'll pass on any costs to you.
“It's important to think carefully about whether the Games is right for you.
“If it's not, there are lots of people chasing Brisbane 2032 opportunities, leaving gaps in the market for you to look elsewhere.”
Visit our Brisbane 2032: Opportunities for Australian industry page to learn how Australian Industry Group can help members find procurement pathways, understand readiness requirements and access support. Our Corporate and Commercial Law team has already supported Olympic contracts.
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at Australian Industry Group.
A former journalist for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK, she is passionate about giving businesses a voice.
