Publication
Pre-Covid-19 Productivity Research in Construction Sector
From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
Published on
Last updated on
Economic analysis of productivity in the Irish construction sector
Economic analysis of productivity in the Irish construction sector
Download link for
Download
View the file
View
This report, commissioned by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), produced by KPMG and Future Analytics Consulting Ltd. (FAC) and peer reviewed by TU Dublin, aims to understand and address the reasons for low levels of productivity in the Irish construction sector and identify specific recommendations and actions that can be undertaken to address these issues.
All research was undertaken in 2019 and therefore does not take into account the impact of Covid-19. The research will be used to inform the work of the Construction Sector Group alongside the group’s role in monitoring and discussing wider issues effecting the construction sector, including Covid-19.
A range of factors impacting productivity in the construction sector in Ireland have been identified in the research. These causes have been considered across three main stages of the project lifecycle:
- the initiation and planning stage
- the execution stage
- the performance and monitoring stage
Consideration of the causes of low productivity, in the context of what is currently underway in Ireland and international best practice, has informed the selection of key actions that can be taken to support productivity enhancements in the construction sector.
A proactive and collaborative approach to tackling challenges to productivity is required to prevent an increasing decline in productivity with knock on adverse impacts for public infrastructure and the economy.
A summary overview of causes or key challenge areas and high impact actions to address these is set out in Table 3 of the report. The causes and actions encompass all stages of the project lifecycle. These actions are considered most likely to drive productivity in the construction sector. A wide range of additional actions along with more detailed information on the causes of low productivity are included in Section 3 t.
The Roadmap for Delivery, detailed in Section 4, identifies agreed Leaders and supporting bodies for each action as well as a timeline for implementation.
This research was discussed at the most recent online meeting of the Construction Sector Group (CSG) held on 22 May 2020. The research is now being considered in the context of Covid-19 and wider sectoral issues and, will inform the work programme for the CSG which is currently being finalised and is due to be published in the coming weeks.
The Construction Sector Group (CSG) was established in 2018 in order to ensure regular and open dialogue between Government and the construction sector. The group meets once a quarter. The industry bodies represented are:
- Construction Industry Federation
- Irish Congress for Trade Unions
- The Building Materials Federation
- Engineers Ireland
- Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland
- Royal Institute of the Architecture of Ireland
- Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland
- Irish Planning Institute
The productivity research, which has been carried out, will form an important source of evidence to inform the work of the CSG.
The CSG operates under the Transparency Code, with all meeting agendas and minutes published online at gov.ie.