Tender process opens for Emu Swamp Dam and network

With a budget of $51.8 million the Emu Swamp Dam will be one of the largest water infrastructure projects in the region in recent decades.

Emu Swamp Dam plans. The thin blue line indicates where the outline of the dam will be.

The call has gone out for engineering and design firms to submit their plans for Granite Belt’s Emu Swamp Dam and it associated irrigation network.

The Irrigation Distribution Network and Associated Works Design and Construct Tender will open on 30 April for eight weeks with a budget of $28.4 million, while the Dam Design and Construct Tender will be released on May 18 for ten weeks with a budget of $23.4 million. The construction will start in late 2021 with a plan to have the dam operational by 2023.

GBIP CEO Lloyd Taylor, said the tender release was a significant step toward breaking ground on Emu Swamp Dam.

“This project has the potential to transform the region and will deliver greater water security and economic prosperity to the community, including through the creation of 250 jobs during construction and 700 permanent jobs to the Southern Downs once complete,” he said.

“While the concept of Emu Swamp Dam has been in development for 20 to 30 years, GBIP has progressed a detailed business case, raised and committed capital, designed the project and reached the point of delivering design and construct tenders in just over two years.”

GBIP operates under, and is funded by, a unique model whereby it is managed by a community-owned entity, Granite Belt Water, and is not wholly government funded, allowing streamlined presentation of the tenders to market.

Agricultural minister David Littleproud and deputy PM Michael McCormack discuss the first stages of development at Emu Swamp Dam with GBIP CEO Lloyd Taylor.

“Around 28 per cent of the cost of the scheme is funded by customers who live and work in the community and will directly benefit from the project, making it the highest proportion of private investment in water infrastructure in Queensland’s history,” Mr Taylor said.

“This tender release is also unique in that it is the first time in Queensland both the design and construct components have been included in the one tender, meaning the company which designs the infrastructure will also construct it.

“The project has adopted this model, which has been tried and tested in Tasmania, where it has proven to be the most efficient model to deliver high-quality water infrastructure developments.

“We are confident this can be replicated in Queensland and have engaged a number of key team members, who were instrumental in delivering several Tasmanian water infrastructure project designed and constructed under this model.”

The open call for tenders will be subject to an industry-standard probity procedure to ensure integrity is maintained throughout the process and will require tenderers to have accreditation with the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner.

Companies interested in tendering for the Project can register their interest via email, [e-mail], and relevant information can be found on the Granite Belt Irrigation Project website.

Community members can receive the most accurate and up-to-date information on progress through the Granite Belt Irrigation Project website or can speak directly with the GBIP team by visiting the Project Office at 3/35 Maryland Street, Stanthorpe.

The Australian and Queensland governments are jointly funding the Emu Swamp Dam project. The Australian Government, through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund, has committed $42 million toward the delivery of the project.