A surprising share of small tender responses never reach evaluation. Not because the price was wrong or the experience was thin, but because a certificate had expired, a licence class did not cover the scope, or a levy question could not be answered on the day the submission was due.
The fix is unglamorous. Build one controlled evidence pack, keep it current, and stop assembling it under deadline pressure.
Licensing: does the licence actually cover the scope?
A QBCC licence is the starting point for building work in Queensland, and the licence class and permitted scope matter as much as the licence existing. Queensland's prequalification checklist for government building projects goes further and requires a QBCC licence with a maximum revenue for licensing of at least $3 million.[1]
That figure is a useful reality check even well below prequalification level. Licence revenue limits are set against financial capacity, so a business bidding well above its licensed revenue band has a compliance problem before it has a pricing problem.
Electrical, plumbing, gas and other occupational licences sit alongside the QBCC licence rather than inside it. List every licence, its holder, its class and its expiry in one place.
Insurance: currency, not just cover
Two insurances come up on nearly every Queensland tender.
Workers' compensation is a legal obligation, not a commercial choice. WorkCover Queensland states plainly that if you employ workers in Queensland you must have workers' compensation insurance, and that all employers must hold this insurance so workers can get support quickly.[2] Buyers usually ask for a certificate of currency rather than a policy schedule.
Public liability is the number that trips small contractors up. Queensland's government building prequalification checklist requires a public liability certificate of currency for a minimum of $20 million.[1] Plenty of trade businesses carry $5 million or $10 million, which is fine for private work and short of the mark for some government and head-contractor requirements. Check the required limit in the invitation documents before assuming existing cover is enough, and get the increase quoted early — it is rarely as expensive as expected.
The prequalification checklist also expects a QLeave registration number or certificate and a WorkCover certificate of currency for Queensland-based employers.[1]
The levy most contractors forget until it is late
The Queensland portable long service leave levy applies to building and construction work in Queensland costing $150,000 or more excluding GST.[3]
The combined levy is 0.575% of total work cost — $5.75 for every thousand dollars or part thereof — made up of $1.25 (0.125%) to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, $1.00 (0.1%) to Construction Skills Queensland, and $3.50 (0.35%) for long service leave entitlements.[3]
Timing matters. The levy must be paid before a development permit is issued for building work, plumbing and drainage work or operational work, or, where no development permit is required, before the work starts.[3] A bid priced without it is a bid with a hole in the margin.
Assemble it as a register, not a folder
A folder of PDFs is not an evidence pack. A register is. For each item, record:
- what it is, and which document proves it
- who owns it inside the business
- the expiry or renewal date
- where the current version lives
- which tender or contract required it
Put every expiry into a calendar with a reminder at least 30 days out. Certificates of currency typically run twelve months, and a lapse discovered on submission day cannot be fixed on submission day.
Check the conduct requirements at the same time
Queensland agencies apply the Queensland Government Supplier Code of Conduct 2026 to procurement activities regardless of value, with invitation documents generally requiring suppliers to warrant that they comply and contracts requiring ongoing adherence.[4] The evidence pack is what makes that warranty defensible rather than optimistic.
Requirements differ between agencies, councils and head contractors, and the invitation documents are always the final authority. This article is general information about procurement paperwork; it is not legal, insurance, licensing or financial advice, and holding the documents does not guarantee a tender will succeed.