Tenders sought for Games village preparatory works

THE planning work for Geelong’s Games village for Victoria 2026 has hit another milestone, with Development Victoria releasing an advance tender notice to the state’s construction industry for civil works.

Geelong will be home to one of four villages for the Commonwealth Games in March 2026, along with Ballarat, Bendigo and Morwell.

Armstrong Creek has been pencilled in as the site for Geelong’s Games village, which will be built on a block south of the Waurn Ponds train station and either side of Baanip Boulevard.

Announced earlier this week, the advance tender notice outlines the general scope of works that may be required across the four village sites.

Prospective bidders will need to be able to deliver a range of civil works as well as specialist items for specific sites such as remediation.

Civil works across the Games villages may include bulk earthworks, installation of new drains and sewers, the relocation of existing services such as power, gas and water, construction of new roads, upgrades to existing roads, and general demolition and clearing works.

Contractors can lodge their interest in a single location or across multiple project locations.

Once the expression of interest (EOI) process opens next month, interested parties can register via the Buying for Victoria website at buyingfor.vic.gov.au, from which a shortlist of civil contractors will be invited to participate in a request for proposal process.

The four villages will collectively hold about 7,000 athletes and officials.

In Geelong, the village will host competitors in swimming, para swimming, diving, gymnastics, triathlon and para triathlon, hockey, weightlifting, para powerlifting, beach volleyball, golf, T20 cricket and coastal rowing.

The state government officially opened the EOI process to build the villages themselves earlier this month and expects to close this EOI at the end of February

Early works at each of the four village are expected to begin later this year, with village designs and numbers of dwellings required at each site still being finalised.

Development Victoria group head for the Commonwealth Games Joanne Wandel said the advance tender notice was a great opportunity for regional contractors to be involved in construction of the villages.

“We’ll work closely with the construction sector over the next three years, with significant investment being made by the Victorian government in community infrastructure, including housing and world-class sports facilities.

“This first stage of works on the villages will lay the foundations to leave a long-lasting legacy including additional housing in regional communities.”

The Victorian government expects Victoria 2026 will contribute more than $3 billion to Victoria’s economy, and create more than 600 full-time equivalent jobs before the Games, 3,900 jobs during the Games and a further 3,000 jobs beyond the Closing Ceremony.

Development Victoria is the development arm of the state government, and is the statutory corporation that delivers government hrough property development and urban renewal.