Government launches New Service to Accelerate Major Projects Delivery

The Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD and the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris TD, today jointly launched a new Government service to accelerate major Government capital investment projects. Immediately, the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) will offer direct support and assistance to Departments on the development of major capital projects.

The services from the NDFA will offer support at every stage of the development process for major projects. This ranges from assistance with the internal Government assessments required to promote value for money, such as the Strategic Assessment and Preliminary Business Case, to expertise on the appropriate procurement strategy to be adopted, to the Corporate Governance arrangements that will determine how the major project will be operated when it is completed.

The first two projects to benefit from the expert assistance available through the NDFA will be the planned redevelopment of the GPO and the National Concert Hall (NCH) under the Office of Public Works. It is anticipated that the future GPO will incorporate the retention of a public Post Office, public realm enhancements to improve public use of and civic engagement with the complex, to include significant cultural use or uses, as well as retail elements within the current retail footprint. As part of the National Cultural Institutions’ programme, planning permission is in place for the complete refurbishment of the c.21,000m2 main National Concert Hall building, with detailed design work underway to ensure its sensitive transformation to a world-class, fully accessible, sustainable and vibrant music campus for the nation.

Directly providing this service through the NDFA will reduce the need for individual Departments to enter lengthy, multiple procurement exercises to obtain the specialist assistance they might need for each individual project. Using the same service will also drive consistency and standardisation across project development. Together, this will reduce the development time for projects and should result in lower costs, delivering faster and more cost-effective capital projects. Overall, based on the feedback from Departments during the development of the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan, it is estimated that this measure could shave 12 months off the project development cycle for major capital projects.

Commenting today, the Tánaiste said:

“Today’s announcement clearly demonstrates the Government’s commitment to the delivery of infrastructure in the interests of all of our citizens. As the Minister with lead responsibility for the NDFA as part of the National Treasury Management Agency I am delighted to see them enabled to offer support and assistance directly to Government Departments on the development of major capital projects. This support and assistance will reduce costs, drive consistency and standardisation across project development and also reduce the development time for projects by an estimated 12 months, delivering faster and more cost effective capital projects.”

Minister Chambers said:

“The Government is resolutely committed to accelerating the development of State projects so they are delivered faster and more cost effectively in the interest of people and communities. The Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan sets out precisely how we achieve this and this action is one of a series of measures already underway to transform infrastructure delivery in our country. We are reforming our legal and regulatory systems to systematically address barriers, slash red tape and remove unnecessary delays. But we are also reforming how Government operates. This action, which can slash up to 12 months off project timelines, is just one example of where we are rigorously examining our procedures to ensure they deliver value for money and ultimately support delivery of critical public infrastructure that households, business and communities need. By professionalising and standardising the support offered for project development through the NDFA we can accelerate major capital projects ensuring high quality infrastructure that delivery value for money.”

A Circular will issue shortly from DPER that will set out the specific conditions of support and how Departments can avail of the new service. It is anticipated that some of the first projects that will be supported by the new NDFA service include the redevelopment of the GPO and the National Concert Hall.

Action 24 of the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan commits the Government to “Provide Expert Assistance for Key Infrastructure Projects”. This action requires, among other matters, the NDFA to provide expert, centralised assistance for major capital projects by Q1 2026. The launch of this service is the fulfilment of that action and marks another milestone in the overall delivery of the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

Services

The NDFA will be available to provide advice and support to Departments and Agencies on the following areas:

• Corporate governance arrangements for projects;
• Development of a project programme;
• Identification of necessary internal resourcing and any external services required;
• Ensuring strategic assessment is in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines;
• Preparation of the preliminary business case, the detailed business case, and the final business case;
• Preparation of a project execution plan;
• Development of the procurement strategy and procurement documentation; and
• Support for the construction phase and advice on potential project change plans.