{"id":49847,"date":"2026-01-19T13:08:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T13:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/press-releases\/aecom-defines-readiness-as-the-challenge-facing-irelands-housing-and-infrastructure-delivery\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T08:10:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T13:10:27","slug":"aecom-defines-readiness-as-the-challenge-facing-irelands-housing-and-infrastructure-delivery","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/press-releases\/aecom-defines-readiness-as-the-challenge-facing-irelands-housing-and-infrastructure-delivery\/","title":{"rendered":"ArchTam defines \u2018readiness\u2019\u00a0as the challenge facing Ireland\u2019s housing and infrastructure delivery\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>ArchTam\u2019s\u202f<em>Ireland Annual Review 2026<\/em> calls for\u202freadiness\u202fas\u202fa critical enabler for accelerated delivery,\u202fensuring projects are delivered cost-effectively, more productively and at greater\u202fscale and\u202fpace.\u202f\u202f<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The\u00a0report\u00a0also\u202fhighlights:\u202f<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Construction\u202findustry\u202foutput growth of\u202f4\u202fper cent\u202fexpected for\u202f2026\u202f\u202f<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>ArchTam forecasts\u202f3\u202fper cent\u202fconstruction inflation\u202ffor 2026\u202f<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Residential completions\u202fexpected\u202fto fall\u202fwell below the level\u202fof\u202fdemand,\u202fexacerbating\u202fa persistent housing\u202fcrisis,\u202fdespite\u202fstrong public investment\u202f<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DUBLIN&nbsp;<\/strong>(January\u202f19,\u202f2026)<strong>\u202f<\/strong>\u2014<strong>\u202f<\/strong>ArchTam, the trusted global buildings and infrastructure leader,&nbsp;operating&nbsp;in Ireland for more than 165 years, today launches its 2026 review of the Irish construction industry. In this year\u2019s review of the market and construction costs, ArchTam sets out the challenges and opportunities facing the Irish construction and infrastructure sector. It highlights readiness as the essential enabler of Ireland\u2019s ambition to deliver major housing and infrastructure programmes at pace and scale, alongside actions being taken by the Government to remove delivery barriers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now in its 51<sup>st<\/sup>\u202fyear, the report also provides a leading benchmark for expected inflation for the\u202fconstruction\u202findustry\u202fwhich is forecast at\u202f3\u202fper cent\u202ffor 2026.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>John O\u2019Regan,&nbsp;Director and&nbsp;Country&nbsp;Lead for\u202fthe Republic of Ireland\u202fat ArchTam, said:<\/strong>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe Republic of Ireland\u2019s record level of funding for infrastructure projects, alongside a proactive government approach throughout 2025, reflects a clear commitment to strengthening national resilience and accelerating delivery. The Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan, released in December 2025, sets out a programme of reform aimed at speeding up the provision of infrastructure.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThese measures are in the\u202fearly stages\u202fof\u202fimplementation;\u202fhence the existing\u202fdeep-rooted constraints continue to slow progress. Delivery agencies are now managing pipelines at an unprecedented scale, within a\u202fsystem that\u202fremains\u202fwell funded on paper but constrained in practice. 2026 must be a year of delivery readiness if\u202fthe\u202fRepublic of Ireland\u202fis to meet its social and\u202feconomic\u202fgoals. Strong public finances provide the foundation, but\u202freadiness\u202fprovides\u202fthe capability to deliver consistently and confidently.<\/em>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe conditions exist to advance essential housing and infrastructure programmes. While capability will take time to build, strengthening readiness\u202finternally and\u202facross the delivery ecosystem will allow organisations to manage constraints, accelerate\u202ftimelines\u202fand meet Ireland\u2019s urgent delivery needs, making readiness a critical enabler for accelerated delivery.\u201d<\/em>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ireland\u202fAnnual\u202fReview\u202f2026<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<em>Ireland\u202fAnnual Review&nbsp;2026<\/em>&nbsp;covers both\u202fthe Republic of Ireland\u202fand Northern Ireland. It finds that while economic conditions\u202fremain\u202fgenerally favourable\u202fand record funding is available\u202fin\u202fthe Republic of Ireland, structural and capability constraints continue to limit\u202fhousing and infrastructure\u202fdelivery.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the face of these challenges, the industry\u2019s usual \u2018can-do\u2019 attitude and resilience are being tested. \u2018Report fatigue\u2019 is growing at every level. Further delays in delivering critical infrastructure risk discouraging international contractors from&nbsp;entering the Irish market\u202f\u2013\u202fand may prompt more Irish contractors and consultants to follow those who have already sought opportunities abroad.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key factors influencing development in Ireland in 2026 include:\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ArchTam\u202fexpects\u202fconstruction industry output will grow by c. 4\u202fper cent\u202fin volume terms in 2026.\u202fThe outlook for tender prices in 2026 is likely to\u202freflect\u202fthe recent gradual upward trend in consumer inflation. ArchTam forecasts a\u202f3\u202fper cent\u202fincrease in tender price inflation for 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Irish Government has taken\u202fproactive steps to drive output and activity, continuing the steady increase in capital spending \u2013 with Budget 2026\u202fallocating\u202f\u20ac5.2 billion in funding to housing alone \u2013 alongside measures intended to encourage private investment.\u202fThe Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce was\u00a0established\u00a0in 2025 to tackle the barriers hindering infrastructure\u00a0development, and\u00a0published its Report and Action Plan in December to outline reforms to address legal, regulatory, and delivery and coordination challenges.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Global\u202fconflicts and\u202fgeopolitical instability continue to influence supply chains, investor confidence, and private-sector engagement.\u202fWhile supply chains have shown resilience, a climate of uncertainty\u202fhas\u202fweighed heavily on investment decisions in the economy, which in turn\u202fimpacts\u202fconstruction output.\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Public and private\u202fsector\u202fprojects face\u202fcomplicated\u202fand sequential approval processes.\u00a0Each stage typically passes through multiple gateways, and statutory approvals are\u00a0frequently\u00a0extended further by appeals and judicial reviews. These processes contribute to extended project timelines and introduce uncertainty, creating challenges for the\u00a0timely\u00a0delivery of critical infrastructure and housing programmes.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"5\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The residential sector is the largest individual sector in the\u202fconstruction\u202findustry and thus is a key driver of overall output and activity.\u202fWhile\u202fGovernment measures\u202fincluding\u202fBudget 2026 allocations of \u20ac5.2 billion and\u202fThe Land Development Agency (LDA)\u202fplanning and acquisitions\u202f\u2013\u202faim to address supply,\u202fsystemic challenges\u202fremain.\u202fWith the sector continuing to underperform targets\u202fand\u202foutturn figures for completions\u202flikely falling\u202fwell\u202fbelow the level of demand.\u202fViability issues,\u202flimited private investment, and gaps in water, energy, and transport infrastructure continue to impede the conversion of planning permissions into completed developments.\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The report calls for the need to prioritise readiness to secure Ireland\u2019s ability to deliver its ambitious pipeline of major projects,\u00a0programmes\u00a0and portfolios at pace. Defined as \u2018strategic preparation\u2019,\u00a0readiness encompasses an organisation&#8217;s internal capability, such as having the right skills,\u00a0systems\u00a0and governance in place, as well as external factors like selecting\u00a0appropriate procurement\u00a0strategies and the provision of pipeline certainty to aid workforce attraction and retention. ArchTam argues that achieving readiness will be key to managing constraints, accelerating\u00a0timelines\u00a0and delivering the outcomes Ireland urgently requires.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ArchTam concludes that with strong public finances, continued private investment, and a resilient construction sector, the foundations exist to deliver development projects to support economic growth. The critical task is strengthening readiness across the delivery ecosystem to unlock Ireland\u2019s housing and infrastructure potential as swiftly and proactively as possible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The full report is available here<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aecom.com\/ireland-annual-review\/\">https:\/\/publications.aecom.com\/ireland-annual-review\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:13px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_6685_web-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"John O\u2019Regan, Director and Country Lead for the Republic of Ireland, ArchTam and Derval Cummins, Director, Transportation, ArchTam.\" class=\"wp-image-188464\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>John O\u2019Regan, Director and Country Lead for the Republic of Ireland, ArchTam and Derval Cummins, Director, Transportation, ArchTam.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About ArchTam\u202f<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ArchTam is the global infrastructure leader, committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities, we solve our clients\u2019 complex challenges in water, environment, energy,&nbsp;transportation&nbsp;and buildings. Our&nbsp;teams&nbsp;partner with public- and private-sector clients to create innovative,&nbsp;sustainable&nbsp;and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle \u2013 from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. ArchTam is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025.&nbsp;Learn more at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.archtam.com<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-49847","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/49847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/49847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49848,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/49847\/revisions\/49848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.archtam.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=49847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}