Engineering and asset-management group Verbrec (ASX: VBC) has secured about A$22 million in water and wastewater infrastructure contracts across Australia and New Zealand since the start of the 2027 financial year, with the largest single award a New Zealand wastewater treatment plant upgrade worth roughly A$12.3m, according to a report published on 20 October 2026 (Small Caps).
Key takeaways
- Verbrec has booked approximately A$22 million in water and wastewater contracts across Australia and New Zealand since 1 July 2026 (Small Caps).
- The headline award is a NZ$15.1m lump-sum headworks contract at the Levin Wastewater Treatment Plant in New Zealand, equivalent to about A$12.3m (Small Caps).
- A further A$9.6m of electrical, control and automation work has been secured across four Australian states, delivered with Alliance Automation (Small Caps).
- Water-sector revenue grew from 7% of Verbrec's total in FY25 to 21% in FY26, lifting exposure to the sector after the December 2025 Alliance Automation acquisition (Small Caps).
What happened: the Levin headworks award
Horowhenua District Council has selected Verbrec as principal contractor to design and build new headworks at the Levin Wastewater Treatment Plant in New Zealand under a lump-sum contract valued at NZ$15.1m before goods and services tax, the company disclosed in the 20 October 2026 report (Small Caps). Completion is scheduled about 16 months after award, and the works cover process equipment, pumping infrastructure, grit chambers and associated buildings, together with electrical systems, instrumentation and controls (Small Caps).
Verbrec will run design, procurement, construction management and commissioning, supported by New Zealand partners on the civil, structural, mechanical and electrical construction packages, according to the same disclosure (Small Caps). The headworks represent the first stage of upgrades envisaged at Levin, where the council has signalled a multi-year investment program (Small Caps).
The Australian portfolio
The remaining A$9.6m of awards has been secured jointly by Verbrec and its wholly owned Alliance Automation business from water utilities, local authorities and head contractors, the 20 October 2026 report states (Small Caps). In South Australia, the scope includes switchboards and control panels for an upgrade to a major Murray River water-transfer asset serving Adelaide, plus electrical packages for water storage and wastewater infrastructure (Small Caps).
Queensland contracts cover drinking-water chlorine monitoring, ongoing maintenance of water-network electrical and control systems, and upgrades to pump stations and reservoirs, while further awards include a reservoir pump station upgrade in western Sydney and a metropolitan pump station control-system upgrade in Victoria, according to the same report (Small Caps). Many of the Australian projects were won through framework agreements, standing panels and established customer relationships, providing a recurring source of work (Small Caps).
| Project | Jurisdiction | Reported value |
|---|---|---|
| Levin WWTP headworks (design, build, commissioning) | New Zealand | NZ$15.1m (about A$12.3m) |
| Australian electrical, control and automation works across four states | Australia | A$9.6m |
| Total secured since 1 July 2026 | Australasia | About A$22m |
Context and outlook
Verbrec is targeting rising water infrastructure investment driven by ageing assets, population growth and regulatory requirements across Australia and New Zealand, the 20 October 2026 report states (Small Caps). It cites an estimated NZ$47.9 billion of New Zealand council-identified water infrastructure investment over 10 years, and South Australia's 2024–28 water regulatory determination, which provides for A$3.3 billion in net capital spending (Small Caps). Work in hand for the remainder of the current financial year remains in line with management expectations and the revenue guidance issued in July, the same report notes (Small Caps).
Specification read
The reported scale is procurement and contract value, not hydraulic capacity: the New Zealand award is NZ$15.1m (about A$12.3m) for the headworks stage at the Levin Wastewater Treatment Plant, with completion scheduled about 16 months after award (Small Caps). The supplied source does not report the plant's design flow in megalitres per day or its population equivalent, so a unit conversion cannot be supported from the source material; operators scoping a comparable headworks stage should request a flow figure (m³/day) and influent BOD/COD (mg/L) from the asset owner before sizing equipment. The scope described (process equipment, pumping infrastructure, grit chambers, electrical systems, instrumentation and controls) sits at the front end of a municipal treatment train, upstream of screening and grit removal and before primary clarification, biological treatment (A2O, MBR, MBBR, SBR or UASB depending on influent and discharge limits) and any tertiary or disinfection step. For a municipal operator running a plant with moderate-to-high flows, ageing inlet works, and tightening discharge consents, a headworks refurbishment typically reads as a 12–18 month execution window with staged bypass planning. Readers mapping this contract can also compare turnkey delivery models in our turnkey wastewater facility contractors buyer's guide and broader industries we serve coverage.
FAQ
What was awarded? A lump-sum principal contract to design and build new headworks at the Levin Wastewater Treatment Plant, valued at NZ$15.1m before GST and scheduled for completion about 16 months after award, plus about A$9.6m of electrical, control and automation work across four Australian states, for a combined A$22m since 1 July 2026 (Small Caps).
Who is the buyer and who is delivering? Horowhenua District Council is the buyer for the New Zealand headworks, with Verbrec as principal contractor and New Zealand partners delivering civil, structural, mechanical and electrical construction; the Australian A$9.6m package is shared between Verbrec and its wholly owned Alliance Automation business, serving water utilities, local authorities and head contractors (Small Caps).
What does the headworks scope cover? Process equipment, pumping infrastructure, grit chambers and associated buildings, plus electrical systems, instrumentation and controls, with Verbrec responsible for design, procurement, construction management and commissioning (Small Caps).
What is the indicative lead time? The supplied source gives a project duration of about 16 months from award for the Levin headworks and does not report a separate procurement lead time (Small Caps).
