Defence releases long-awaited Estate Works Program tender forecast

Contractor Opportunity Estate Works

By Darian Macey, March 11 2026

Defence has quietly released the latest Estate Works Program (EWP) Tender Forecast, giving industry its first consolidated view of smaller Defence infrastructure projects expected to come to market across Australia over the coming year.

The forecast was published yesterday on the Defence website and simultaneously announced on AusTender. For companies working in Defence infrastructure, the document is one of the most useful signals of upcoming procurement activity within the estate.

While Defence emphasises that the list is indicative only and subject to change, it provides valuable visibility of upcoming tenders and where activity is expected to occur.

DECNet’s review of the document identifies 198 individual projects forecast to go to tender across the Defence estate.

These projects will be delivered through Defence’s Project Delivery Services (PDS) arrangements with:

Aurecon
Mott MacDonald
Bureau Veritas (BVBI)

Together these providers manage the design and procurement of the majority of Estate Works projects on behalf of Defence.

What the Estate Works Program is

The Estate Works Program sits below the large capital facilities program and is used to deliver smaller infrastructure upgrades, refurbishments and compliance works across Defence bases.

Projects typically include:

building refurbishments
infrastructure upgrades
electrical and mechanical works
safety upgrades
environmental and compliance works

These projects are usually delivered through design-consultant packages and head contractor construction packages, making them an important entry point for SMEs seeking Defence work.

For many regional contractors and consultants, Estate Works projects are the primary gateway into the Defence market.

National distribution of projects

The forecast shows projects spread across the Defence estate nationally, reflecting the geographic distribution of bases.

Based on DECNet analysis of the published list, New South Wales contains the largest number of forecast projects, followed by Queensland and Western Australia.

This reflects the scale of Defence infrastructure around:

Sydney and the Fleet Base precinct
the Hunter region
Riverina Army bases
major Queensland Air Force bases such as Amberley and Townsville

The distribution broadly aligns with the footprint of Defence estate assets across Australia.

NSW ███████████████████████████████████████ 55
QLD ████████████████████ 32
VIC ███████████████ 25
NT ███████████████ 25
SA ██████████████ 24
WA █████████████ 23
ACT ███████ 13
National █ 1

Timing of tenders

The forecast suggests a significant concentration of tenders expected during 2026, particularly in the middle of the year.

DECNet analysis indicates that the April–June quarter carries the largest volume of forecast tenders, suggesting a busy procurement period for consultants and contractors involved in Estate Works delivery.

This aligns with Defence’s normal pattern of procurement activity, where projects often move to market in the latter half of the financial year.

Forecast Tender Timing

Q1 2026 (Jan–Mar) ██████████████████ 45
Q2 2026 (Apr–Jun) ██████████████████████████████████████████████ 95
Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep) █████████████████████ 50
Q4 2026 (Oct–Dec) ████ 8

Delivery agents – the PDS split

All projects in the forecast are assigned to one of Defence’s three Project Delivery Service Providers (PDS).

These organisations manage project scoping, design and procurement on Defence’s behalf.

Based on the forecast list:

Aurecon appears to carry the largest share of projects
Mott MacDonald manages a significant portion across several regions
Bureau Veritas (BVBI) also delivers a substantial number of projects

The split reflects the national framework arrangement used by Defence to manage Estate Works delivery.

For industry participants, understanding which PDS is responsible for each project is critical, as engagement with the relevant provider is often the first step toward participation.

Aurecon ███████████████████████████████████████████████████ 99
BVBI ███████████████████████ 50
Mott Mac █████████████████████ 49

Project value bands

The forecast confirms that most Estate Works projects fall in the lower value bands, typically between $1 million and $4 million.

This reinforces the role of the Estate Works Program as a mechanism for:

minor capital works
refurbishment programs
base infrastructure upgrades
compliance improvements

While individually modest, the volume of projects makes the program one of the most consistent sources of Defence construction work for SMEs.

$1–4m ███████████████████████████████████████████████████ 113
$4–8m █████████████████ 43
< $1m ███████████ 26
$8m+ ███████ 16

Types of works

The forecast includes a mix of work categories such as:

building upgrades and refurbishments
infrastructure upgrades
electrical and services works
safety and compliance upgrades

Building refurbishment works appear to represent the largest share of the program.

These projects often include works such as:

accommodation upgrades
facility refurbishments
training infrastructure improvements
storage and logistics facilities

Building Upgrades / Refurbs ███████████████████████████████████████ 90
Infrastructure Works █████████████████████ 55
Electrical & Services Upgrades █████████████ 35
Safety / Compliance Works ███████ 18

Estate types – where the work sits

Analysis of project titles suggests a strong concentration of projects on Air Force and Army establishments, including:

RAAF bases
Army barracks
training areas

A smaller number of projects appear at Navy establishments, reserve depots and tri-service facilities.

This distribution broadly reflects the relative scale of Defence estate assets across the services.

RAAF Bases ██████████████████████████████████████ 72
Army Barracks & Training ███████████████████████████████ 60
Navy Establishments ███████████████ 30
Tri-Service Facilities █████████████ 24
Reserve Depots ███████ 12

Important caveats

Defence notes several important limitations in the forecast.

The document states that:

the list is indicative only
projects may be added, removed or delayed
tender timing may change
projects may shift between PDS providers

Defence also notes that changes associated with the current PDS arrangements may affect delivery timing.

As a result, companies should treat the forecast as market intelligence rather than a firm procurement schedule.

What this means for industry

Despite those caveats, the release of the forecast provides valuable visibility for companies seeking Defence infrastructure work.

In practical terms, the document allows businesses to:

identify upcoming opportunities
understand which PDS is responsible
begin early engagement with delivery teams
position themselves for upcoming tenders

For many SMEs, Estate Works projects represent the most accessible pathway into the Defence estate supply chain.

With nearly 200 projects identified in the current forecast, the program will remain a significant source of work for contractors, consultants and specialist suppliers across the country.

Download Estate Works Program Forecast (Feb-Dec 2026) – PDF

Author: Darian Macey

Darian is a former Engineering Officer with the RAE with tertiary qualifications in Engineering and Project Management. He is a leading practitioner within Australia's NSI sector with previous employment in Government, project management and building contractor organisations.