As trail development grows across Australia, more councils, land managers, and agencies are grappling with a fundamental question: what is the right way to procure and deliver a trail project?
It’s easy to default to familiar models like Design & Construct, Early Contractor Engagement, Construct Only, but the reality is that no single procurement approach suits every situation. The key is aligning the contracting strategy to the maturity of the project, the capability of the client, and the complexity of the environment. Getting this right at the start determines whether a project will deliver best value, or simply best effort within its budget.
For some projects, Design & Construct is absolutely the right choice. Where a concept is well defined, the risks are understood, and the client knows exactly what they want, transferring design risk to a capable contractor makes sense. It can streamline delivery, reduce management overheads, and place accountability clearly with the builder to deliver to specification.
But many projects, especially in natural areas or where trail concepts are still evolving simply aren’t ready for that model. In those cases, early independent design input provides clarity, reduces uncertainty, and helps shape a more accurate and achievable scope. This early work is not an extra cost; it’s an investment in setting the foundation for success.
An independent design phase allows for site-specific assessment, stakeholder alignment, and realistic costing before the project moves into procurement. It gives councils or land managers confidence that when they do go to market, they’re getting fair pricing and comparable bids without the uncertainty of undercutting or scope creep later.
Once the contracting strategy is established, the next challenge is translating it into practice. This includes:
- Developing trail-specific scopes of work that reflect both technical standards and user outcomes.
- Managing procurement and tendering, including evaluation frameworks that focus on value rather than price alone.
- Stress-testing designs to ensure constructability, environmental compliance, and long-term sustainability.
- Supporting contract administration, ensuring contractors are delivering to intent, not just to line items.
This is where independent expertise adds real value. Blue Sky Trails regularly supports councils, land managers and agencies through this full project lifecycle, not to replace contractors, but to help clients make informed decisions, reduce risk, and extract the most from available funds.
Ultimately, trail procurement isn’t about picking a contract type, it’s about using the right processes to pick the right contractor for the project (or stage of project) being delivered. Every project has different levels of definition, risk, and complexity. The best outcomes come from matching the procurement model to those realities, and from having trusted, independent advice at the table from the beginning.
Great trails start with structure, clarity, and a shared understanding of what success looks like.
