Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
237. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline the use of the design and build contract model for new social housing, particularly in DCC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37555/26]
View answerLocal authorities are rapidly expanding their use of the Design and Build (D&B) contract model for new social housing, achieving major gains in both speed and cost efficiency.
Under the D&B approach, preliminary designs are prepared by the local authority with the contractor responsible for detailed design and construction. Over the past three years, more than 3,000 new social homes using the D&B approach have entered the national delivery pipeline demonstrating the model’s growing use.
Current programmes are delivering significant time savings with projects completing 4–6 months faster in pre-construction and 6–9 months faster during construction depending on project scale and complexity. These accelerated timelines result in more social homes being delivered quicker - meaning families and individuals can move into new homes sooner and waiting times are reduced.
The D&B model also provides greater cost certainty, ensuring that public investment delivers maximum value. By combining standardised designs, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and early contractor involvement, the approach reduces delays, limits cost overruns and supports more predictable delivery.
A major enabler of this progress has been the establishment of regional D&B frameworks, giving local authorities access to pre-qualified consultants and contractors. These frameworks now operate across five regions, serving 25 local authorities, with work ongoing to extend coverage nationwide. This strategic procurement structure has been central to the continued uptake of D&B.
With respect to Dublin City Council specifically, my Department has been informed that the Council is advancing a number of sites using their own D&B frameworks and have a number of strategic projects planned under the D&B approach, including all sites which were formally part of the PPP Bundle 3 (Project Barrow) and Bundles 4 and 5, representing almost 1,450 units alone.
My Department also plans to embed the D&B approach within the Approved Housing Body (AHB) sector, ensuring that the same time and cost efficiencies benefit all major public housing delivery channels.
