Queensland Government Procurement: 2025 in Review, 2026 in Focus

If you only judged it by what appeared publicly, you would think 2025 was just another year in Queensland Government procurement. Tenders were released. Panels ticked along. Businesses kept bidding. On the surface, nothing about the system appeared particularly different.

But as with most meaningful change, this year’s real work happened quietly.

2025 was not about dramatic announcements or launches. It was about preparing the ground for something bigger. From 1 January 2026, the Queensland Procurement Policy 2026 (QPP 2026) takes effect.

What many people did not see was how much effort this year went into questioning parts of the existing system and asking a very practical question:

Does the way government buys actually make sense?

In that respect, 2025 was a redesign year. A year of adjustment and a year where procurement was slowly being nudged in a different direction.

Small business moved from important to essential

One of the clearest shifts throughout the year was how small, family and regional businesses began to be treated more seriously. For a long time, SMEs have been praised as the backbone of the economy while still feeling like an optional extra in procurement structures. In 2025, that started to change.

Public commentary increasingly pointed toward participation targets under QPP 2026, including a proposed 30 percent small business target for government contracts. That figure is important, but more important is what it represents. It signals that agencies are being asked to think differently about how they engage suppliers and how procurement is structured. Local suppliers are no longer being encouraged to participate. They are being designed into the system.

Social procurement became practical

Another change that gained momentum in 2025 was social procurement. This year it moved out of policy statements and into everyday conversations. Indigenous businesses, women led enterprises, disability supporting organisations, and veteran linked suppliers began to feature more regularly and more seriously in procurement planning.

From 2026, social value will matter more. Not as a headline but as part of how capability is assessed. For suppliers, this is not about grand gestures. It is about being able to explain, clearly and honestly, who you employ, who you support, and the impact your business has beyond the work itself.

Simpler rules and fewer hoops

Industry frustration about complexity did not suddenly appear in 2025. It has been building for years. Too many documents. Too many rules. Too much ambiguity. This year, simplification finally started to matter.

QPP 2026 replaces layers of prescriptive rules with a clearer, more outcomes focused framework. The removal of the Best Practice Industry Conditions reflected a broader shift toward value and productivity rather than process. This is not about lowering standards. It is about removing friction. Good suppliers should be easier to engage. Capable businesses should not struggle with the system just to be considered.

Visibility began to matter

Transparency might not sound exciting, but for suppliers it changes everything. During 2025 there was steady progress toward better visibility of government spend, clearer procurement pipelines, improved reporting frameworks, and stronger forward planning.

These are not administrative changes. They shape how businesses prepare. You cannot plan for what you cannot see. You cannot build capability around opportunity if opportunity arrives without warning. Better visibility creates earlier engagement and better outcomes.

So what does this mean for suppliers heading into 2026

2025 may not have felt dramatic, but it was deliberate. It tightened settings and reset expectations. It quietly changed direction. QPP 2026 simply formalises work that has been in motion for some time.

The most important change is not the policy itself. It is how suppliers will now be assessed. From 2026, buyers will increasingly look for clarity in what you offer, credibility in delivery, visibility before formal procurement begins, and readiness beyond the tender response.

Tendering still matters. Approval still matters. Positioning matters more than it used to.

Final thought

2025 was the year of alignment and 2026 will be the year of execution. The businesses that benefit most will not be the ones who react quickest. They will be the ones who prepared quietly while change was underway. The ones that have taken the time to get gov ready.