Milne Bay Aquatic Centre Electrification Project

⁠⁠⁠Overview

Toowoomba Regional Council is inviting submissions from suitably qualified contractors for the design, supply, installation, commissioning and handover of electrification upgrades, and decommissioning of existing gas boiler heating systems, at Milne Bay Aquatic Centre.

About

Milne Bay Aquatic & Fitness Centre is located in the Toowoomba CBD and is owned by Toowoomba Regional Council. The centre includes a 50-metre outdoor pool, 25-metre indoor pool, therapy program pool, children's wading pool and stand-alone spa. Pools are currently heated with gas powered boiler systems and some solar matting. The boiler systems are at end of life and due for replacement. Gas prices have increased significantly over time, and the advent of newer, more efficient electric heat pump technology offers a lower cost solution for pool heating.

Council has engaged consultants to carry out a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study. The study is complete and relevant contents will be included in the specification and offeror response documents. The FEED study was also used as supporting documentation in Council's application for CEUF funding.

Purpose

Council is seeking to decommission and remove the existing gas boilers and replace them with high efficiency heat pump technology and solar PV technology to maintain reliable pool water and amenities hot water temperatures across seasonal conditions, including peak winter heating loads. The project also aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and optimise electricity use through load flexibility and smart controls.

Scope

The scope includes:

• Design, supply, installation, commissioning and handover of electrification upgrades at Milne Bay Aquatic Centre
• Replacement of existing gas-fired heating systems with high efficiency heat pumps
• Energy efficient system redesign
• Installation of a rooftop solar PV system
• Modernisation of thermal plant infrastructure
• Upgrade or replacement of domestic hot water systems servicing showers, hand basins, kitchenettes and other areas
• Decommissioning and removal of the existing gas boiler heating systems

Contract Terms and Conditions

• The existing gas boiler systems will remain in place and operational in a redundancy capacity until the new system has been operational for 12 months, and the successful offeror is to allow for this in their submission
• Decommissioning and removal of the gas boilers, following the 12 month redundancy period, forms part of this contract
• A transformer supply upgrade is required to facilitate the increased electrical demand of the proposed new heating system. The existing 750KVA transformer supplies power to the aquatic centre, pumping station, bowls club, senior citizens club and ancillary buildings on Gallery Lane, and a larger transformer (for example 1.5MVA) will be required
• The transformer upgrade has been approved, with construction scheduled to commence in September 2026 and a projected construction period of one month. This upgrade also requires the creation of an easement to allow electricity supplier access to the transformer, and this process is underway but incomplete
• The transformer upgrade will be facilitated by Council and does not form part of this request for offer
• Conditions of the CEUF grant funding include specific reporting requirements, record keeping, work completion timelines and other mandatory milestones, to be delivered through joint consultation and cooperation between Council and the successful offeror
• A condition of the grant funding is that the Grantee (Council) is to provide authorised members of the Commonwealth access to premises where the activity is taking place and/or where material relating to the activity is kept

Funding

Council has successfully applied for grant funding to partially support the project, granted under the Community Energy Upgrades Fund (CEUF).

Tender Briefing and Site Inspection

A mandatory site inspection will be held during the tender period.

• Date: Thursday, 13 August 2026
• Time: 10:00am
• Location: Milne Bay Aquatic Centre, 43-49 Victoria Street, Toowoomba, QLD
• Attendance: Mandatory for all prospective tenderers

Failure to attend may result in the tender submission being deemed non-conforming. RSVPs are to be sent to financialservicescontracting@tr.qld.gov.au.

Location

• Facility: Milne Bay Aquatic Centre, 43-49 Victoria Street, Toowoomba, QLD
• Map: View on Google Maps