E1 Market Data · Q1 2026
Short answer: Victoria comes out on top — but the margin, and the reasons why, vary more than you'd expect across the five measures we tested. New South Wales has the largest project base; Queensland is the strongest alternative major market. The full breakdown is below.
Which state is strongest for tendering? We compared every state market across five measures: tender volume, how intensely projects go to tender, the public/private split, project size, and the sectors driving demand. Here's what the numbers show.
Which state has the most construction tenders?
Victoria recorded the most tenders in Q1 2026 with 1,612, followed by New South Wales (1,514) and Queensland (1,382). Western Australia (604), South Australia (509) and Tasmania (48) make up the smaller markets. Activity is concentrated in the larger eastern states — but volume alone doesn't tell you where the real density of opportunity sits.
| State | Projects | Tenders | Tenders per project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 906 | 1,612 | 1.78 |
| New South Wales | 1,137 | 1,514 | 1.33 |
| Queensland | 948 | 1,382 | 1.46 |
| Western Australia | 440 | 604 | 1.37 |
| South Australia | 345 | 509 | 1.48 |
| Tasmania | 36 | 48 | 1.33 |
What is tender intensity, and why does it matter?
Tender intensity is the number of tenders per project — a measure of how much competitive activity each project generates. Victoria leads with 1.78 tenders per project, ahead of South Australia (1.48) and Queensland (1.46). It's the clearest sign that market strength is about more than raw size. A state can have fewer projects but put more of them out to competitive tender, which means more visible opportunities for subbies and builders to quote.
Which state has the largest project base?
New South Wales has the deepest pipeline by project count, with 1,137 projects in Q1 2026 — ahead of Queensland (948) and Victoria (906). But NSW pairs that large base with the equal-lowest tender intensity (1.33, level with Tasmania) and a larger private component, so fewer of those projects show up as competitive public tenders. Big pipeline, quieter tender board.
Which state has the most public tenders?
Public tenders make up the majority of activity in every state. Victoria is the most public-weighted at 81.2%, followed by Queensland (74.6%), South Australia (73.7%) and Western Australia (71.5%). NSW is the most privately weighted, with 36.8% of its tenders private. One standout: Queensland records more public tenders overall than NSW — 1,031 versus 957 — despite NSW being the larger market by project base. If public work is your focus, the eastern states (and Victoria especially) give you the most visible opportunities.
| State | Public share |
|---|---|
| Victoria | 81.2% |
| Queensland | 74.6% |
| South Australia | 73.7% |
| Western Australia | 71.5% |
| Tasmania | 64.6% |
| New South Wales | 63.2% |
What size are most projects in each state?
The $1m–$5m band is the largest across Victoria, NSW and Queensland — a deep mid-market pipeline that's the bread and butter for most subbies. Victoria leads the band at 47.3%, with NSW (43.5%) and Queensland (43.0%) close behind. South Australia and Western Australia skew smaller: both have over 42% of projects under $1m. If you're chasing mid-sized commercial work, the eastern states are where the depth is.
Which sectors lead in each state?
Each state has a distinct demand profile, so the "best" state depends on your trade and sector:
- Victoria: Education leads (23.9%), then Commercial (13.6%) and Government (13.0%).
- New South Wales: Commercial leads (18.6%), then Government (14.8%) and Education (14.3%).
- Queensland: Education leads (23.2%), then Commercial (12.7%) and Government (9.8%).
- Western Australia: Government leads (16.6%), then Commercial (14.6%) and Refurbishment (13.6%).
- South Australia: Commercial leads (18.5%), then Education (15.7%) and Government (11.0%).
- Tasmania: Commercial leads (35.4%), then Retail (16.7%) and Fit-out (12.5%).
Victoria and Queensland are Education-led. NSW and SA lean Commercial. WA stands out for Government and Refurbishment work. Match the state to where your packages actually fit.
The final state-by-state ranking for tendering
Pulling the five lenses together, here's how the states stack up overall for tendering in Q1 2026:
| State | Tender volume | Project volume | Tender intensity | Public share | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Queensland | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| New South Wales | 2 | 1 | 5= | 6 | 3 |
| South Australia | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Western Australia | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Tasmania | 6 | 6 | 5= | 5 | 6 |
The bottom line
Victoria is the strongest all-round state for tendering in this dataset. It combines the highest tender volume, the highest tender intensity, and the strongest public visibility, with a deep mid-market pipeline. New South Wales offers the largest project base, and Queensland is the strongest alternative major market — high public tender count and solid intensity. Where you chase work should come down to your sector, your project size sweet spot, and whether you're after public or private jobs.
Methodology
This analysis reflects activity captured in E1 data for 1 January to 30 March 2026, and should be read as an E1 market view. Projects are counted as unique project IDs; tenders are counted at stage level. Territories are excluded. Public/private classification is determined by the head contractor at tender creation. Markets covered: VIC, NSW, QLD, WA, SA and TAS.
Every chart, every state, every sector breakdown — in one PDF.
Download the report
Alexander
Green
General Manager - Subcontractors
