Question:
Hi Team, in Part D Schedule of Prices - for WBB Zone C2, the attendance fee is blocked out as Not Applicable on spreadsheet. It would make better sense to apply an attendance fee rather than Travel p/km, as barge prices are the majority of the fee. Is it possible to switch these around please and re-issue spreadsheet? Thanks!

Answered on 06/Aug/2026 01:46 PM:


Please price as per workbook request (travel rates). Please note contractor has to hold the agreed Rates for 12 months once awarded, so a travel rate is considered to be a better option for barge travel/accommodation etc and variances that may occur to attend K’Gari.

Question:
Hi there, we have the following question regarding Asbestos safety training requirements.

The Trade Contractor Project WHS Presentation states that all contractors and their workers must have completed asbestos safety training and awareness due to the presence of asbestos-containing materials at some government-owned assets.

Could QBuild please clarify whether this requirement applies without exception to contractors engaged solely to provide external arboriculture services, where the contracted work does not involve building work, entry into buildings, or the disturbance of building materials?

If it does apply to all arboriculture contractors and workers regardless of the nature or location of the work, could QBuild please provide the rationale for applying this requirement to workers whose duties are limited to external tree and vegetation work?

Thanks

Answered on 06/Aug/2026 02:55 PM:


Afternoon Lisa

It is a registration requirement to comply with the Conditions of Working with QBuild – Contractors and therefore is still required. I also believe even though the occurrence may be low for the Arboriculture trade, there is still the possibility of encountering AMC eg tree branch could be sitting on a building, buried ACM where the tree is being removed from, damaged structures following a storm etc.

Question:
Hi there, after reviewing the tender documents, we also have the following questions:

1) Mobilisation and travel costs for proactive work

For Zones where the Schedule of Prices provides an Attendance Fee rather than a Travel Rate, could QBuild please clarify how suppliers are to recover mobilisation and travel costs for proactive maintenance and housing vacant-maintenance Orders, given that Clause 3.1.1 limits the Attendance Fee to reactive-maintenance Orders only?

Can labour and machinery time be charged from departure from the supplier’s depot until return, or may hourly rates only be charged for time spent at the Site?

2) Reactive-maintenance and after-hours requirements

Could QBuild please confirm that the 24-hour, seven-day availability and Priority I, U and P response obligations under Clause 3.14 apply only to suppliers appointed to the Reactive & Proactive Maintenance panel?

If an offeror nominates only Proactive Maintenance and/or Housing Vacant Maintenance, is an operational after-hours call-out service still required, or is the after-hours contact requested in the Response Schedule for administrative purposes only?

3) Priority I and Priority U attendance

For Priority I and Priority U arboriculture requests, does attendance within the nominated timeframe require a complete arboriculture crew and all necessary plant and equipment to attend, or may an appropriately qualified representative initially attend to assess the hazard, establish controls and make the area safe?

4) AQF Level 2 Tree Worker pricing

Appendix A recognises AQF Level 2 Tree Workers and the Response Schedule asks suppliers to declare the number of Level 2 workers employed. However, the Schedule of Prices does not include an AQF Level 2 hourly rate.

Could QBuild please confirm which scheduled labour classification and rate should be applied when an AQF Level 2 Tree Worker performs work permitted under Appendix A?

5) Ancillary specialist subcontractors and use of Cert 5 arborists for reports

Could QBuild please confirm that the prohibition on subcontracting Certificate III arboriculture work does not prevent the supplier from engaging ancillary specialist providers, including crane operators, traffic-control providers, fauna spotters or wildlife handlers, specialist plant operators, and Certificate V Arborists for reports, provided the arboriculture work remains under the supplier’s control and is performed by the supplier’s internal arboriculture workers?

If these ancillary providers are permitted, should all anticipated providers be included in Appendix D at the time of tender submission, or may providers be nominated and approved during the SOA term based on the location and requirements of an individual Order?

6) Stump grinding and underground services

Could QBuild please clarify whether stump grinding is considered mechanical excavation for the purposes of Clause 9.2?

Are BYDA information, underground-service locating and soft-dig requirements mandatory for every stump-grinding Order, regardless of grinding depth, or only where the Site-specific risk assessment identifies a reasonable likelihood of underground services being present within or adjacent to the grinding area?

7) Machinery categories and specialist plant

The Schedule of Prices provides one machinery rate for “Wood Chipper” and one rate for “Elevating Work Platform,” regardless of the size, capacity or operating cost of the machine.

Could QBuild please confirm whether the nominated rate is intended to apply to every size and capacity of machine supplied?

Where an Order requires higher-capacity equipment, a crane or other plant not listed as a Schedule of Rate Machinery Item, can that equipment be charged at actual hire cost plus the nominated plant and equipment mark-up, subject to prior written approval?

8) Green-waste recycling and reuse

Could QBuild please confirm whether arboriculture green waste may be chipped and transported to the supplier’s established depot or another lawful facility for recycling and reuse as mulch, rather than being disposed of at a local authority waste facility?

Where green waste is lawfully recycled or reused, will this satisfy Clauses 10.4 and 10.5, and what evidence of recycling or lawful disposal will QBuild require?

9) Pruning specifications and AS 4373

Where the vacant-maintenance requirement to provide two metres’ clearance from a roofline, or to “lop” trees as needed, conflicts with AS 4373 or would require cuts that an appropriately qualified arborist considers detrimental or unsafe, could QBuild please confirm that AS 4373 and the arborist’s professional assessment take precedence?

In those circumstances, should the supplier obtain approval for an alternative pruning specification or recommend removal or another treatment?

10) Defects liability for arboriculture work

Could QBuild please confirm that the 12-month Defects Liability Period applies to defects in the workmanship performed, but does not constitute a warranty regarding the future health, stability, regrowth or failure of a tree where the outcome is affected by weather, disease, pests, concealed defects, pre-existing conditions or other factors outside the supplier’s control?

11) SOA pricing compared with non-SOA pricing

Clause 1.2 of Section 4 states that pricing charged under a Purchase Contract must be demonstrably better than non-SOA pricing.

Could QBuild please explain how this requirement will be assessed, including what evidence suppliers may be required to provide and how differences in scope, compliance obligations, response times, administration and payment conditions will be taken into account?

12) Execution by a sole-director company

The SOA Offer Form contains two company signature fields for execution under section 127 of the Corporations Act 2001.

Could QBuild please confirm how the form should be completed where the offeror is a proprietary company with a sole director?

Thanks

Answered on 12/Aug/2026 08:06 AM:


RFI 1) Mobilisation and travel costs for proactive work

For Zones where the Schedule of Prices provides an Attendance Fee rather than a Travel Rate, could QBuild please clarify how suppliers are to recover mobilisation and travel costs for proactive maintenance and housing vacant-maintenance Orders, given that Clause 3.1.1 limits the Attendance Fee to reactive-maintenance Orders only?

Response: An attendance fee is only provided for responsive maintenance as tenant/residents may not be there when contractor attends or are refused access etc. to site. As long as a contractor has met requirements to attend site, they are able to charge an attendance fee if they are not able to do the work. Housing Vacant sites are able to be attended when contacted by QBuild with timeframes and contractor can enter by Vacant Lockbox on each site. Proactive Maintenance will generally be planned maintenance from a fixed price quote through a Request For Offer (RFO) form, costings can be included in that pricing using relevant SOR items, or using description of additional tasks on the RFO forms for Not on Schedule rates required.

Can labour and machinery time be charged from departure from the supplier’s depot until return, or may hourly rates only be charged for time spent at the Site?

Response: As per Annexure B SOA Scope of Services, Clause 3.1.2, attendance fee is to encompass all necessary expenses incurred by the Supplier and I suggest this remains consistent across all suppliers.

RFI 2) Reactive-maintenance and after-hours requirements

Could QBuild please confirm that the 24-hour, seven-day availability and Priority I, U and P response obligations under Clause 3.14 apply only to suppliers appointed to the Reactive & Proactive Maintenance panel?

Response: If an offeror is appointed to HVM only then reactive obligations under the contract wouldn’t be applicable?

If an offeror nominates only Proactive Maintenance and/or Housing Vacant Maintenance, is an operational after-hours call-out service still required, or is the after-hours contact requested in the Response Schedule for administrative purposes only?

Response: The Invitation to Offer docs, Part C, requires the offeror to list their preferences relating to reactive, proactive and HVM. We would like all offerors to provide for all work types however the preferencing enables us to consider Panel award/structures.

RFI 3) Priority I and Priority U attendance

For Priority I and Priority U arboriculture requests, does attendance within the nominated timeframe require a complete arboriculture crew and all necessary plant and equipment to attend, or may an appropriately qualified representative initially attend to assess the hazard, establish controls and make the area safe?

Response: Yes, this approach would be acceptable if there is no risk to the client/State Gov’t assets etc. Contact by the contractor may be acceptable to assess the risks and carry out the works the next morning for example. It would need to be made safe to meet these requirements.

RFI 4) AQF Level 2 Tree Worker pricing

Appendix A recognises AQF Level 2 Tree Workers and the Response Schedule asks suppliers to declare the number of Level 2 workers employed. However, the Schedule of Prices does not include an AQF Level 2 hourly rate.

Could QBuild please confirm which scheduled labour classification and rate should be applied when an AQF Level 2 Tree Worker performs work permitted under Appendix A?

Response: It is mandatory as minimum that the contractor have level 3 tree works. Level 2 Tree Workers are not a Pricing Schedule item, however the supplier can charge for hours worked by their Level 2’s.

RFI 5) Ancillary specialist subcontractors and use of Cert 5 arborists for reports

Could QBuild please confirm that the prohibition on subcontracting Certificate III arboriculture work does not prevent the supplier from engaging ancillary specialist providers, including crane operators, traffic-control providers, fauna spotters or wildlife handlers, specialist plant operators, and Certificate V Arborists for reports, provided the arboriculture work remains under the supplier’s control and is performed by the supplier’s internal arboriculture workers?

If these ancillary providers are permitted, should all anticipated providers be included in Appendix D at the time of tender submission, or may providers be nominated and approved during the SOA term based on the location and requirements of an individual Order?

Response: Yes, this is acceptable. QBuild would at least be requiring to see the Cert 5 details in offer documents if the contractor has minimum level 3 and is subcontracting this portion. All other relevant subcontractors would be dealt with as referred to in above. A record will be kept of the approved subcontractors, so this enables the contractor to get additional approved if required.

RFI 6) Stump grinding and underground services

Could QBuild please clarify whether stump grinding is considered mechanical excavation for the purposes of Clause 9.2?

Are BYDA information, underground-service locating and soft-dig requirements mandatory for every stump-grinding Order, regardless of grinding depth, or only where the Site-specific risk assessment identifies a reasonable likelihood of underground services being present within or adjacent to the grinding area?

Response: Refer to Clause 9.2 of Annexure B, Scope of Services, “excavations 300mm deep or planning to cut concrete slabs”.

RFI 7) Machinery categories and specialist plant

The Schedule of Prices provides one machinery rate for “Wood Chipper” and one rate for “Elevating Work Platform,” regardless of the size, capacity or operating cost of the machine.

Could QBuild please confirm whether the nominated rate is intended to apply to every size and capacity of machine supplied?

Where an Order requires higher-capacity equipment, a crane or other plant not listed as a Schedule of Rate Machinery Item, can that equipment be charged at actual hire cost plus the nominated plant and equipment mark-up, subject to prior written approval?

Response: The rate for a wood chipper and elevating work platform is a single rate. Yes, non-Schedule of Rate (Machinery Items) plant and equipment is to be charged at cost plus the percentage mark up as per Section 4.4 of Annexure B – Scope of Services.

RFI 8) Green-waste recycling and reuse

Could QBuild please confirm whether arboriculture green waste may be chipped and transported to the supplier’s established depot or another lawful facility for recycling and reuse as mulch, rather than being disposed of at a local authority waste facility?

Where green waste is lawfully recycled or reused, will this satisfy Clauses 10.4 and 10.5, and what evidence of recycling or lawful disposal will QBuild require?

Response: We confirm that the arboriculture green waste can be chipped and re-used as per Clause 10.5 states.

RFI 9) Pruning specifications and AS 4373

Where the vacant-maintenance requirement to provide two metres’ clearance from a roofline, or to “lop” trees as needed, conflicts with AS 4373 or would require cuts that an appropriately qualified arborist considers detrimental or unsafe, could QBuild please confirm that AS 4373 and the arborist’s professional assessment take precedence?

In those circumstances, should the supplier obtain approval for an alternative pruning specification or recommend removal or another treatment?

Response: Any rectification works that are outside of AS 4373 need to be provided in the Tree Report from level 5 arborist or communicated with the Customer’s representative in the first instance and dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

RFI 10) Defects liability for arboriculture work

Could QBuild please confirm that the 12-month Defects Liability Period applies to defects in the workmanship performed, but does not constitute a warranty regarding the future health, stability, regrowth or failure of a tree where the outcome is affected by weather, disease, pests, concealed defects, pre-existing conditions or other factors outside the supplier’s control?

Response: We confirm 12-month Defects Liability Period applies to defects in the workmanship performed and the risk sits with the Level 5 Arborist who provides a report on the trees health and pre-existing conditions, they need to maintain the insurance etc for 7 years from any Tree report that they have issued.

RFI 11) SOA pricing compared with non-SOA pricing

Clause 1.2 of Section 4 states that pricing charged under a Purchase Contract must be demonstrably better than non-SOA pricing.

Could QBuild please explain how this requirement will be assessed, including what evidence suppliers may be required to provide and how differences in scope, compliance obligations, response times, administration and payment conditions will be taken into account?

Response: Clause 1.2 of Section 4 (screenshot below) Request to demonstrate benefits will be conducted as/if required.



RFI 12) Execution by a sole-director company

The SOA Offer Form contains two company signature fields for execution under section 127 of the Corporations Act 2001.

Could QBuild please confirm how the form should be completed where the offeror is a proprietary company with a sole director?


Response: There is a section of the offer form for a Director to sign, please scroll past the “Sole Trader/individuals” section.

Question:
Hi,

Are you able to acknowledge a late change to the tender submission regarding Asbestos awareness? We have marked 'no' on the worksheet but should be 'yes' Certificate #268469 (RTO 40926)

Thanks in advance

Brendon Howarth

Answered on 10/Aug/2026 08:03 AM:


Hello Brendon, this has been acknowledged.

Question:
Hi team, thank you for responding regarding the asbestos awareness requirements.

Could you please confirm whether our crew members only need to complete a general workplace asbestos-awareness course and receive a certificate of completion, or whether nationally accredited training such as 11084NAT is required?

Also, does every crew member attending a QBuild job need to have completed this training or just the site supervisor?

Thanks again

Answered on 11/Aug/2026 01:34 PM:


Hi Lisa

All workers that are working on or attending a QBuild site are required to complete a general workplace asbestos-awareness course and receive a certificate of completion.