Victoria hosts the Commonwealth Games in March 2026, and for the first time in this international sporting gala’s history, will use a multi-city model to stage the event. Four regional hubs – Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, and Gippsland – will “unite” during the Games to provide a unique Victorian experience for athletes, spectators, and global audiences.
A Victoria 2026 Design Charter defines key principles that will deliver four high-quality neighbourhoods in the regional hubs that can successfully host an Athletes’ Village for the Games. As a legacy, the government will retrofit the Villages to provide housing, public realm, and community infrastructure.
As such, Development Victoria seeks suitable architects to function as lead consultants and deliver design services for bespoke accommodation within the Commonwealth Games Villages sites.
This Request For Proposal (RFP) seeks highly capable and diligent consultants with experience delivering residential apartment projects and bespoke townhouses/dwellings with a value of at least $20 million.
The Commonwealth Games 2026 Games Villages project involves the design and delivery of dwellings to accommodate athletes and officials across the four village sites at Geelong (Waurn Ponds Station Precinct), Ballarat (Delacombe), Bendigo (Flora Hill), and Gippsland (Morwell). Potential architects and design teams must demonstrate suitable track records and experience working with and delivering a broad range of housing typologies and modification of standard designs to achieve accessibility outcomes and address site issues.
Development Victoria aims to deliver the project in three key phases: Games Mode (pre-Games), CG26 Overlay (during Games), and Legacy Mode (post-Games).
The scale of the project and condensed program means it is likely the design team will engage with the contractors in an Early Contractor Involvement/buildability process. The Local Jobs First policy applies to this project and requires Development Victoria to consider local employment and local content commitments as key criterion in tender evaluation. Tenderers must lodge a Local Jobs First Local Industry Development Plan by 23 May.
Development Victoria will select a preferred bidder by late-June 2023 and the anticipated date for commencement of service is 29 June 2023.
The closing time and date for responses is 2pm on 30 May 202
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