From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
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The Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, has today (Tuesday 19 September) published the Prospects 2023/2024 report which highlights 50 of the largest individual projects that make up Project Ireland 2040. This report aims to provide further visibility on the sequencing of Ireland’s priority infrastructure projects over the coming years, thereby facilitating firms to plan commercial bids for these major infrastructure projects.
Prospects 2023/2024 sets out a clear pipeline for some of the largest individual projects that comprise Project Ireland 2040. The projects included in this report are all either at Strategic Assessment and Preliminary Business Case, Pre-tender, Final Business Case, or Implementation in the project lifecycle. Construction firms in Ireland, the EU and internationally, are invited to consider the role that they can play in delivering these projects and in doing so help to fulfil the ambitious vision within Project Ireland 2040.
Speaking about the publication, Minister Donohoe said:
“The NDP provides a detailed and positive vision for Ireland over the next 10 years. It is our largest, greenest and most ambitious infrastructure plan to date. Ireland needs competitive, dynamic, and sustainable construction firms that can deliver high quality physical infrastructure in line with Project Ireland 2040.
“Maximising delivery of NDP projects is a key priority for Government. Earlier this year, I announced a package of actions to enhance delivery of vital public projects. These actions included significant changes to reduce the administrative burden in delivering major capital projects. The Public Spending Code, which sets out the approvals process for new projects, will be removed and replaced by a set of Infrastructure Guidelines. In addition, I have also introduced further significant reforms to the Capital Works Management Framework, which sets out the contracts used for public capital projects, liability caps, further amendments to the price variation clauses and amendments to the template tender documentation.
“Furthermore, I also announced a timeline for Public Sector BIM Adoption. From January 2024, consultants engaged to design and oversee the construction of public works contracts with a value in excess of €100 million will have Building Information Modelling (BIM) requirements included in their scope of service. We are also adopting the International Cost Management Standard (ICMS) to enable consistent reporting of costs, life cycle costs and life cycle analysis including embodied carbon.
“As Minister, I am now taking a direct role in overseeing delivery of the NDP through chairing the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board. I am determined that collectively we can address bottlenecks that exist in order to progress the NDP. In addition, the Construction Sector Group (CSG) continues its work to increase productivity and efficiency through innovation and digital adoption initiatives across the construction sector. The work of the CSG Sub-Group is progressing positively on issues related to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), Building Information Modelling (BIM), and ePlanning, amongst other priorities.
“Prospects 2023/2024 sets out a clear pipeline for 50 of the largest individual projects that make up Project Ireland 2040. This pipeline spans projects which are currently at planning and appraisal to projects which are completing construction this year. The pipeline of work under the NDP is significant, as demonstrated by the Prospects 2023/2024 report and Project Ireland 2040 tracker and map. It is vital for our social, economic and climate ambitions that we succeed in the timely delivery of these projects.”