Project Scheduling in Brisbane

Project scheduling services for Brisbane projects

We develop tender programs with the contract baseline in mind, carrying the bid’s logic and assumptions forward and recording agreed changes after award, then keep the program current through delivery.

• Tender programs: sequence, procurement windows, Indirects and resource demand, prepared for the tender submission with the Basis of Schedule and Methodology.

• Baseline programs: the agreed reference program established in accordance with the contract, with subsequent baseline changes controlled and recorded.

• Program updates: actual progress and remaining-work forecasts recorded in the current program, compared with the baseline, with variance reporting and an archived record of each update.

• Shutdown and turnaround planning: outage programs planned in hours, with the critical path, resourcing and methodology for work on operating plant.

• Schedule recovery: a recovery program built from actual progress, with options tested, costed and agreed with the delivery team.

• Schedule risk analysis: completion dates at chosen confidence levels, with contingency sized from the analysis.

• Forensic delay analysis: extension of time and delay claims built on contemporaneous project records.

Queensland experience

Our capability draws on decades of Queensland project experience including:

• Mine development planning at Boral’s Ormeau quarry

• BHP coal loading facilities in the Mackay region

• Materials handling for CSR

• Ammonium nitrate plants in Gladstone and Biloela

• Bauxite mining and handling

That work shapes how we program Queensland projects: shutdown windows on operating plant, long-lead mechanical and electrical packages, and access constraints on brownfield construction.

Queensland conditions built into the program

• Wet season and cyclone exposure matched to the site. The official cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April, and some systems form outside it. Exposure differs across Queensland, and a system does not have to cross the coast near the site to affect it through rain, flooding and road closures. We set location-specific weather assumptions and program preparation, securing the site, suspension, inspection and restart as separate activities, not one blanket allowance.

• Site water readiness before vulnerable work begins. Queensland’s environmental regulator identifies November to April as a high-risk weather period and names pumping capacity, emergency power, erosion and sediment controls, and water storage capacity as preparation measures. We schedule those as readiness activities ahead of the earthworks and clearing they protect, rather than starting major ground disturbance just before the wet season.

• Working calendars checked against the location. The Ekka public holiday is appointed for Brisbane, and neighbouring council areas observe their show holidays on different days. Where site crews, suppliers and subcontractors work in different council areas, we confirm their calendars separately rather than assuming one Queensland-wide calendar, and distinguish public holidays from agreed shutdowns and rostered days off.

Queensland’s project pipeline

Queensland’s major projects pipeline has reached $174 billion across 617 projects of $50 million or more to 2029-30, according to the Queensland Construction Portal launched by the Brisbane Economic Development Agency, the Property Council of Australia and the Better Brisbane Alliance. The portal estimates major project construction activity rose from $33.64 billion in 2024-25 to $38.31 billion in 2025-26.

For 2026-27, the portal forecasts major project demand for 3 million cubic metres of concrete, 256,000 tonnes of reinforcement steel and 463,000 tonnes of structural steel.

What the pipeline means for a Queensland program

• A tendering window opened in late 2026. In its September 2026 report, RLB identified an approximately six-month tendering window for projects ready for an immediate start, with finalised design documentation, approvals and committed funding. It also reported stronger competition for Brisbane projects of approximately $80 million and below.

• Higher escalation is forecast. RLB forecasts Brisbane tender price escalation of 5% in 2026 and 7% a year from 2027 to 2029.

• Labour is short. Construction Skills Queensland forecasts an average statewide shortfall of 19,100 construction workers across the seven years from 2025-26 to 2031-32.

• Brisbane 2032 adds fixed delivery deadlines. The Queensland Audit Office reports that projects with fixed Brisbane 2032 deadlines will compete for limited skilled labourers, contractors and suppliers.

We make procurement and resource assumptions explicit and identify when subcontractor, crew and supplier availability needs confirming. Our article on Queensland’s $174 billion pipeline sets out five program tests for this market.

Queensland approvals in the program

Working with the project’s planning and approvals advisers, we distinguish council assessment, referrals to the State Assessment and Referral Agency and, where applicable, the Coordinator-General’s coordinated project process. SARA can act as the assessment manager or as a referral agency where state interests are involved, and some referral agencies sit outside SARA. We record the inputs, responsibilities and subsequent approvals needed for each work package rather than treating assessment as one milestone.

Where the Development Assessment Rules apply, we distinguish assessment periods, applicant response periods and agreed extensions. For coordinated projects, the Coordinator-General’s evaluation report is not itself a development approval, so the program shows the evaluation, the applicable conditions and the subsequent approvals separately. Our article on scheduling project approvals explains the method.

Frequently asked questions

Do you provide project scheduling for Brisbane projects?

Yes. We provide Primavera P6 project scheduling for mining, infrastructure and heavy industrial projects in Brisbane and across Queensland, from tender and baseline programs through progress updates, recovery and delay analysis.

How do you plan for the wet season and cyclones?

We set weather assumptions for the actual site location, schedule site water readiness ahead of vulnerable earthworks, and program preparation, securing the site, suspension, inspection and restart as separate activities rather than one blanket allowance.

How does the Brisbane 2032 deadline affect other Queensland projects?

The Queensland Audit Office reports that projects with fixed Brisbane 2032 deadlines will compete for limited skilled labourers, contractors and suppliers. Projects needing the same capacity may face that competition, so procurement windows and resource demand belong in the program.

Can you work to Brisbane hours?

Yes. We work AEST for Brisbane projects, including progress meetings, tender deadlines and program submissions.