It has been a busy and interesting year for our Project Management team. The year will be remembered for significant supply chain challenges affecting the delivery of projects in the construction phase. Inflation hitting levels not seen for a generation brought considerable challenges for project planning and costing. Despite its challenges, this year brought numerous successes for the expanding Project Management team.
In the education sector, the Project Management team successfully secured four separate long-term framework appointments with higher education Institutions in the west and mid-west; namely the Technological University of the Shannon, University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University and Mary Immaculate College; building on our well-established reputation in this sector. These institutions continue to develop high-quality facilities, notwithstanding the difficulties in securing funding in the face of competition within the sector and the rigorous application of the updated Public Spending Code. We are delighted to have helped all four progress their campus development plans.
This year also saw the Project Management team meeting the increasing demand for its sustainability and energy efficiency upgrade advisory and delivery services. Across all sectors and businesses, there is a significant appetite to deliver on sustainability ambitions; in the context of growing awareness of organisations’ Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) responsibilities. With funding available through the SEAI, the Project Management team successfully developed roadmaps for its clients in the private and public sectors. The roadmaps will take their sustainability aspirations from concept to defined objectives and project plans to deliver significant upgrades to existing buildings that align with our client’s maintenance, operations and capital development budgets, programmes and strategic goals.
The housing crisis remained acute in 2022, with the wide acceptance that delivering new units is one of the key measures required to alleviate the situation. The Project Management team was engaged in providing its services and helping expedite urgently needed units on several residential schemes. The delivery of a 101 unit development at Ballybane Mór, Galway is on-site, with the first phase due in early 2023 and completion expected in the first half of 2023. Our Project Management, Planning and Environment teams were also engaged to progress developments via the Large scale Residential Developments (LRD) Act for developments in excess of 100 units, which came into effect on 17th Dec 2021 and replaced the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) process.
The life science sector continued to be a stable source of activity in 2022 across the Irish economy, and demand for Project Management services from this sector remained strong. A notable success was completing the new laboratory and clean room facilities for Becton Dickinson in Limerick.
Our team were delighted to see The Hardiman (historically the Great Southern Hotel) returning to delivery of full service to its customers this year following the lifting of restrictions. The significant refurbishment led by the Project Management team saw this iconic hotel restored to its full glory, allowing the Hardiman to be at the heart of Galway’s Christmas festivities at Eyre Square.
We thank our clients, partners, colleagues and friends for their support in 2022 and to wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year.