Quick Answer
The best questions to ask software exhibitors at QME 2026 fall into nine categories. Ask the same set of every vendor to compare fairly:
- Mining fit & production proof
- Workforce, rosters & compliance
- Integrations & data flow
- Onboarding & change management
- Support & local presence
- Pricing & total cost
- Data, hosting & ownership
- Security & compliance
- Roadmap & longevity
Why a standard question set beats a great demo
Every mining software vendor at QME has a polished 10-minute demo. The demos always look good — that's the point of the demo. Where vendors differ is in the messy stuff behind the demo: how they handle FIFO rosters, how they onboard 200-person workforces, how quickly they pick up when payroll breaks on a Sunday night, what happens at renewal.
The only way to see those differences at an expo is to walk up with the same question set for everyone. Any vendor that can't answer them clearly is telling you something.
9 categories, 35+ questions
1. Mining fit & production proof
- Which Australian mining contractor is running this in production in 2026 — not just piloting?
- How many of your customers work for BMA, Anglo, Peabody, Glencore or Whitehaven?
- Can we speak to a reference customer of similar size in the Bowen or Galilee Basin?
- Was this built for mining, or is it a generic field service platform with mining branding?
2. Workforce, rosters & compliance
- How does it handle FIFO, DIDO and mixed rosters end-to-end?
- Does it interpret mining EBAs, Modern Awards and QLD site allowances automatically?
- How are training, tickets, VOCs and inductions tracked against site requirements?
- How do you handle Tier-1 contractor compliance packs (Avetta, Rapid, Cm3, Pegasus)?
3. Integrations & data flow
- How does data flow between field, workshop, safety, timesheets and payroll?
- What integrations do you have for MYOB, Xero, QuickBooks or larger ERPs?
- Can we export raw data to our BI stack or a Tier-1 miner's data lake?
- Do you have an open API — and what's it actually cost to use it?
4. Onboarding & change management
- What does onboarding look like end-to-end — who owns it, and how long does it take?
- How do you handle change management with FIFO crews who don't want a new app?
- Is training on-site, remote, or self-serve — and what's the cost?
- Who's my day-one contact after go-live — a shared inbox or a named person?
5. Support & local presence
- What are your support hours, and are they Australian time zones with local staff?
- What's your SLA on P1 incidents like "payroll can't run tonight"?
- Do you have local field presence in Queensland or WA — or is everything remote?
- Who handles support after go-live — implementation, a partner, or a separate team?
6. Pricing & total cost
- What's the 3-year total cost including implementation, training, support and add-ons?
- Is pricing per user, per site, per module, or a flat platform fee?
- What happens to my price at renewal — is there a cap on annual increases?
- What's your policy on scaling up or down with contract wins and losses?
7. Data, hosting & ownership
- Where is our data hosted — Australia, or offshore?
- Who owns the data, and how do we get it back in a usable format if we leave?
- How is our data isolated from other customers on your platform?
- How long is data retained after we cancel, and can we force early deletion?
8. Security & compliance
- Are you ISO 27001, SOC 2 or Essential Eight aligned?
- How do you handle MFA, SSO and role-based access for our office and field teams?
- What's your incident response process for a breach affecting our data?
- Can you provide a security whitepaper we can share with our Tier-1 miner's IT team?
9. Roadmap & longevity
- What's on the roadmap for mining specifically over the next 12–18 months?
- How do you take customer feedback into the product — and can we see recent examples?
- How long have you been in market, and who owns the company?
- What happens to our contract if you're acquired or wound down?
Red flags to watch for on the answers
- Can't name a comparable Australian mining customer in production in 2026.
- Doesn't understand FIFO/DIDO rosters, mining EBAs or Tier-1 contractor compliance packs.
- Won't share support SLAs or Australian support hours in writing.
- Data is hosted offshore with no Australian option — and they can't explain why it matters.
- Only wants to talk price and discount, never onboarding, integration or change management.
- Pushes a live signature at the stand — real mining software isn't a same-day decision.
How to actually score vendors on the floor
Print the nine categories on a single-page scorecard, score each vendor 1–5, and weight the categories that matter most to your business (for most mining contractors that's mining fit, workforce compliance, integrations and support). Debrief as a team each evening at QME 2026 and shortlist to 2–3 vendors within a week of returning home.
QME is where you shortlist. It's not where you sign — a proper structured evaluation with reference calls and a scoped pilot should always follow.
Ask us every question in this guide.
SprintSuite is built specifically for Australian mining contractors — FIFO/DIDO rosters, mining EBAs, Tier-1 compliance, Australian-hosted data and Australian support. Book a walk-through at our QME 2026 stand and put us through the scorecard.
Related reading: What is QME 2026? · QME 2026 dates · Where is QME 2026 held? · QME 2026 exhibitor list · What to look for at QME as a contractor · QME mining equipment: what to compare · QME engineering focus for 2026 · What contractors need to know about QME · How to prepare for QME 2026.
