Welcome to the latest public affairs digest from the ACEI (covering April 2026).
The ACEI Secretariat was again busy this month on the stakeholder engagement front meeting with;
- 2 Contracting Authorities
- 1 Departmental Meeting
- 1 TD
- 1 Meeting of CIC Group
Political Backdrop:
International events in Iran continue to hold centre stage as the Accelerating Infrastructure Bill progresses through the Oireachtas. It is worth noting that as we move towards May/June the indicator from ProgressIreland is that more of the Government’s actions are slipping into the ‘Overdue’ section of their tracker. Though still very early, this points to some initial friction between government ambition and implementation. The tracker can be viewed here https://infrastructuretaskforce.org/
Current Tracker Progress on Government Actions
As highlighted at our Member’s only webinar on May 5th, the government is resisting any introduction of NCCs at present and the HFA remains unwilling to adopt different contractual terms. What is working is you the member fighting for NCCs on contracts. This changes government perception on what is considered ‘standard’ industry practice and increases the likelihood of movement on public sector work. Keep working together and demand these contractual arrangements where possible. We are working with the RIAI and others to have their members demand NCCs as well. We are also working with TDs to form Parliamentary Questions which will ensure the Government lays out its position on the record.
Key priorities for the sector and ACEI remain:
- Issues around collateral warranty extension within contracts from state-funded bodies.
- Introduction of more flexible contract types (to include NCCs)
- Median pricing on government procurement
ACEI Political Engagement:
2 April: OPW Flood Relief Engagement
21 April: Meeting with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
22 April: Meeting with Joe Neville TD (Infrastructure Committee)
22 April: Meeting between ACEI, Dept. of Education and Youth and other design bodies; RIAI and SCSI.
27 April: Meeting with OPW.
28 April: Meeting of the Irish Inter Professional Association (IIPA).
29 April: Department of Education and Youth Information Session
Remember: the ACEI will represent you directly with clients if and when issues arise. Contact Shane or Dónal, we can help.
