Suspending BPICs on new major projects

The Queensland Government’s new Queensland Procurement Policy 2026 will take effect on 1 January 2026.

The content on this page remains valid until 31 December 2025.

In November 2024, the government temporarily suspended the use of Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPICs) on all new government-funded construction projects.

The suspension also involves the temporary removal of the industrial relations best practice principle in the Queensland Procurement Policy.

We are committed to leading best-in-class procurement to ensure good outcomes, and that Queensland taxpayer money is respected.

The best practice principles continue to guide other aspects of procurement to ensure quality, ethical and sustainable outcomes.

What’s included

The suspension applies to:

  • all new major projects
  • projects that have not reached the procurement stage
  • projects in procurement, where future stages have not been finalised, or where there is no approved Enterprise Agreement (or industrial instrument)—on a project-by-project basis.

Opportunities for productivity improvements on existing projects will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The BPICs and major project types impacted are:

  • Standard Building Construction and Maintenance BPICs—including new building construction and maintenance projects (e.g. Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure, corrective services, health and hospital building projects)
  • Transport Civil Construction Projects BPICs—including new transport infrastructure and services projects (e.g. road, rail and water civil construction projects)
  • Renewable Energy Facilities and Related Construction Projects BPICs—including new renewable energy and related construction projects.

Amended to reflect these changes are the:

What’s not affected

Worker safety will not be compromised by the suspension. Best practice principles relating to workplace health and safety systems and standards and best practice commitment to apprentices and trainees will remain.

The BPICs will still apply in projects where they are already applied.

BPICs for the social services sector are not affected by the temporary suspension.

Timeline

To deliver on a government election commitment, the Queensland Procurement Commission Act 2025 to establish the Queensland Productivity Commission (QPC) commenced in April 2025.

The QPC is currently conducting a review of the Queensland building industry. The findings of this review will be published in QPC’s Final Report due for public release in early 2026.

The temporary suspension of BPICs will continue throughout the inquiry and until the government has responded. The QPC inquiry will inform the long-term impacts and future of BPICs in Queensland.

Why suspend the BPICs

A temporary suspension of BPICs will:

  • respond to industry concerns of the negative impacts of BPICs on the wider construction sector in Queensland
  • contribute to boosting productivity and reducing costs through increased market competition
  • provide greater flexibility and unlock market capacity on government projects by allowing a broader pool of sub-contractors to access major government building construction projects
  • support regional and remote communities where it is harder to attract the workforce required to deliver major projects.

The temporary suspension will allow sub-contractors – especially small and family businesses and regional firms—a greater chance of securing work on government projects without needing to gain unnecessary prequalification on building construction projects.

Frequently asked questions

View frequently asked questions about the temporary suspension of the BPICs for detailed information on specific industry concerns.

Next steps

Relevant state government agencies will work with affected projects and contractors on what it means for them.