We Can Build Better
We Can Build Better is an independent voluntary group of architects, engineers and other construction professionals campaigning for positive changes to how we build in Ireland, focusing on the quality of the publicly-funded buildings and places we are making today.
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We are trying to highlight some issues with how our state procures its buildings. We think that the state is missing key opportunities to raise the quality of life for our citizens.
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Our ongoing aim is to create debate and discussion about how we build publicly-funded buildings in Ireland, with a view to influencing procedural and legislative changes that lead to better places for us all to live, work and relax.
What Are the Issues?
Since our country exited the downturn there has been a substantial increase in the amount the state is spending on the construction and refurbishment of buildings.
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Somewhat counterintuitively this vastly increased workload is being awarded to an ever decreasing number of architecture companies.
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This is because the state procurement system is unwieldy and complex, with an assessment system which is opaque and inconsistent.
We Think the Problem
is Public Procurement.
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So How Do We Fix This?
Our Proposals
Social Value Matters
Experts are Useful
Value isn't All About Cost
It's All About the People
Talent is Adaptable
Simplicity Rules
Size isn't Everything
The EU is not the Problem
The Issue
Public procurement currently favours large companies which tend to be based in large population centres. As a result, the social value of public procurement isn’t distributed to the widest territory.
What Needs to Change
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Acknowledge the wider social value of employing local SME companies.
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Acknowledge the environmental benefits of employing companies local to the project.
Our Recommendations
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Encourage collaboration and joint venture submissions between large and SME companies.
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Large companies who collaborate with SME’s score higher in assessment.
The Issue
Public procurement encourages low cost tendering without adequate mechanisms for comparing the quality of the service being offered between tenders. A low cost for a poor service does not give value for money.
What Needs to Change
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Acknowledge that quality of service is intrinsic to value for money.
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Acknowledge that an adequate service can’t be provided below a specific base cost.
Our Recommendations
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Set a fee range for a service within which tenderers bid and then assess tenders primarily on quality.
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Tenderers who bid towards the top of the range must demonstrate what extra they bring to the service.
The Issue
Primary consideration is given to companies who have recently carried out work which is similar in scale and type to the work being tendered for. This produces a closed loop which excludes new entrants to the market. It is anti-competitive and can lead to a monopoly.
What Needs to Change
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Acknowledge that the successful delivery of a future service is not dependent on only having carried out work which is similar in scale and type before.
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Acknowledge that aspects of projects can be similar between different building and project types.
Our Recommendations
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Broaden the experience criteria to include qualitative assessment of previous work, even if it is not similar in scale or type.
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Include expert professionals on panels to assess the scope and nature of previous work.
The Issue
Current suitability assessment criteria equate turnover with capacity, assuming that the greater the size of the company, the greater the scale of individual projects it can undertake. Most large or very large projects within a design company will be carried out by a team of max. 4-6 people.
What Needs to Change
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Acknowledge that turnover is not always an appropriate method of assessing capacity and that minimum turnover thresholds exclude SME’s.
Our Recommendations
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Consider a maximum turnover threshold for specific projects to encourage SME participation in public procurement.
The Issue
It is commonplace for tenders for professional services to be assessed by panels which have no expert knowledge in the sector. Because of this, quality assessment tends to be about how the service is delivered, rather than the service itself or product the service will produce.
What Needs to Change
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Acknowledge that tenders should not be assessed by panels which have no knowledge of the service or product they are procuring.
Our Recommendations
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Include construction professionals in every assessment team for tenders for construction professional services.
The Issue
Current procurement practice views companies who can present a long-standing variety of previous work as less risky. But procuring a service is about procuring people. A company’s portfolio is not necessarily a reflection of the experience of current or future staff members.
What Needs to Change
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Acknowledge that due to a misapprehension of risk, talent in small or young companies is being overlooked.
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Acknowledge that SME’s provide direct access to experience and talent which is not necessarily reflected in the age or size of the company.
Our Recommendations
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Attach a greater assessment weight to people’s CV’s and experience, especially SME owner/directors who provide continuous expertise to a project.
The Issue
The main purpose of public procurement is to provide transparency. In reality it is overly complex and made up of opaque processes and terminology. Tender briefing documents are often vague, open to interpretation, and difficult to price.
What Needs to Change
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Acknowledge that the overly complex nature of public procurement excludes SME’s.
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Acknowledge that poor quality tender documentation leads to wasted resources and poor tender returns.
Our Recommendations
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Encourage greater SME participation by simplifying public procurement.
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Ensure briefing documents are clear, concise and contain a quantifiable schedule of requirements.
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Create a centralised tender ‘passport’ which avoids duplication of information between tenders e.g. ESPD (European Single Procurement Document).
The EU is Not the Problem ↑
The Issue
A common perception is that the overly bureaucratic nature of Irish public procurement is due to compliance with EU Directives. Other EU countries do not implement the same level of complexity and bureaucracy in their public procurement systems e.g. Denmark, Belgium, UK (former EU member).
What Needs to Change
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Acknowledge that the Irish procurement system is a national interpretation of the EU Directives.
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Acknowledge that the Irish interpretation deviates from the actual requirements of EU regulations.
Our Recommendations
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Learn from best procurement practice in other EU countries, which includes design competitions, centralised procurement documents, lack of frameworks or bundling of work into lots, and identification of active measures for engaging SME’s.
Join the Campaign
Please read our mandate and sign up to our mailing list.
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Complete our survey and share.
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Follow us on social media.
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Use #wecanbuildbetter in social media posts.
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Engage in any debate or discussion relating to the procurement system.
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Speak to members of the RIAI Council or to your local City and County Councils about issues important to our campaign.
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Follow and share our news.
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Achim Gottstein Dip Arch B Arch Sc MRIAI RIBA
Adela Gomez MArch
Aidan Butler BArch MRIAI
Aidan Hawkins BArch
Aideen Lowery MRIAI
Ailbhe Cunningham BArch
Ailbhe Walsh BArch
Ailish Drake BArchSc MA MRIAI
Aisling Geary Architectural Graduate
Aislinn Nic Dhomhnaill MRIAI
Alanah Doyle BScArch MArch
Aleksandar Kostic
Alex Curtis
Alex Doran BArch DipArch ARB
Alice Casey BScArch Dip Arch MRIAI ARB PhD
Alice Clancy BArch
Alice Clarke BArch
Allister Coyne MRIAI
Amanda Bone BArch MRIAI
Ami Skimming Black BA (Hons) Dip Arch RIBA RIAS
Amy O'Connor MSc Proj Mgt
Andrea Doyle MRIAI
Andrew Chaney BArch
Andrew Brady MRIAI
Andrew Clancy BScArch BArch MRIAI PhD
Andy Howell BScArch MArch MRIAI
Andy O’Carroll BArch
Angela Rolfe FRIAI
Anna Cooke BArch MA ARB
Anna Hofheinz Dip Ing MRIAI
Anna Meehan Dip Arch BSc Arch MRIAI
Anna Pierce BArch MRIAI
Anne Gorman
Anne Henry BArch
Annie Fletcher
Antóin Doyle BArch MRIAI
Aoife O' Donnell BArch, MArch
Aonghus McDonnell BArch
Archie O’Donnell
Barry Kane MRIAI
Barry McKenna MRIAI
Ben Mullen, BArch, BA Fine Art, MRIAI
Benjamen Cooney BArch
Bob Wet Architect
Bram D’Hoedt MScArch BScArch MRIA
Brenda Leonard Dip Arch Hons MRIAI ARBI
Brendan McLoughlin
Brendan Redmond MRIAI
Brett Mahon BScArch MArch
Briain Moriarty BArch
Brian Farrell Civil Engineer MIEI
Brian Grubb
Brian O'Reilly BBS Business Studies
Brian Thompson
Brian Ward
Brona Waldron MArch
Cáit Ní Cheallacháin BArch FRIAI Conservation
Caoimhe Jauch
Caomhán Murphy, BArch RIBA
Carol Tallon MPRII
Caroline Morrin
Catherine Blaney
Catherine Crowe MRIAI
Catherine Mara MRIAI
Chris Boyle BScArch
Chris Patterson MRIAI ARB
Christophe Antipas ArchEPFL
Christopher Olden BScArch MArch
Cian Deegan BArch DipArch MRIAI PhD
Cian Hiney CAI
Cian McLoughlin BArch
Ciara Reddy MRIAI
Ciarán Ferrie BScArch BArch MRIAI MIDI
Claire Carr BComm MSc Marketing
Claire Fitzpatrick BArch
Claudia Murray BArch
Cllr Eddie Fennessy
Colin Eaton BArch MRIAI
Colin Mac Suibhne BArch MArch
Colin McDonnell BArch
Colm Colgan CEng
Colm Moore BSc Arch BArch MRIAI PhD
Conor Hourigan
Conor Maguire
Conor McGeough ACA
Conor McGowan BArch MArch BE M Eng Sc Hdip ABRC
Conor McHugh MRIAI
Conor Murphy BArch DipArch ARB
Daisy Kinahan Murphy M.Arch
Damien Curry MArch ARB RIBA MRIAI
Damien Culligan BArch ARB MRIAI
Damien Hannigan MRIAI RIBA ARB
Dan Leahy BSc(Hons) Architecture MArch
Daniel Montgomery BArch
Daniel Ryan BSc BArch MDesSc(SustDes) PhD
Danny Holland Architect
Darren Feldon B.Arch BAS Dip Arch (SA) RIBA
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Daryl Mulvihill BSc BArch MA
David Jameson MRIAI
David Lawless BArch
David Leech ARB MRIBA
David Leyden
David Magennis BScArch MArch MRIAI ARB
David McInerney Architect BArch PDAP
David O'Brien MRIAI
David Smith BArch
David Stronge MRIAI RIBA ARB MBA
David Williams MRIAI ARB
Declan Feeney MRIAI
Declan Scullion MRIAI
Deepka Abbi BArch
Deirdre Meagher
Denis Byrne RIAI RIBA
Denise Murray MRIAI MArch Urban Design
Derrick Murray - Quantity Surveyor
Dervla MacManus BScArch BArch MA PhD
Desmond Whelan
Dominic Stevens MRIAI
Donal Hickey DipArch Tech DipArch BArchSc
​Donal Lally MRIAI
Donal O'Herlihy
Douglas Carson MRIAI AAI President 2010
Dr Alan Mee FRIAI
Éadaoin Weisz Quinn BScArch
Eamon Peregrine BscArch March MRIAI
Eanna O'Tuama, Fire Engineer
Eibhlín Ní Chathasaigh MArch MRIAI
Eileen O'Driscoll
Elizabeth Clancy
Elizabeth Clyne MRIAI
Elliott Dunn BA(Hons) DipArch
Emer O’Daly BArch MArch
Eimear Hearne MRIAI
Elizabeth Burns Architect
Emma Geoghegan BA Arch MArch MSc Urban Design MRIAI
Emma Gilleece
Emmett Scanlon
Eoin Ó Broin TD
Erang Park BA BArch
Esmonde O'Briain MRIAI
Eugene Mulcaire MRIAI RIBA APM B Arch B A
Evelyn D’Arcy MRIAI
Faela Guiden BArch MRIAI
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Fiona McLernon BArch
Fionnuala Rogerson B.Arch., FRIAI
Francis Matthews BArch
Frank Monahan BA(Hons) DipArch
Gareth Brennan MRIAI
Gareth Smyth
Gary Lysaght MRIAI
Gary Mongey
Gavin Wheatley BScArch BArch MRIAI
Geoff Power (Documentary Producer)
Geraldine Byrne O’Daly MArchSc MRIAI
Gerard Carty Dip Arch Hons, B Arch Sc Hons FRIAI
Gerard Tohill BSc Arch MArchGerard Tohill BSc Arch MArch
Glen O’Dea BArch
Glenn O'Brien MRIAI
Grace Keeley BArch BScArch MRIAI
Grainne Hassett DipArch BArch Sc FRIAI
Grainne Mc Mahon MRIAI Cons.
Prof. Greg Keeffe
Hannah Crehan BArch
Helen Doyle
Helena McElmeel Dip.Arch B.Arch.Sc MSc.Arch MRIAI
Hugh Campbell
Hugh Ivers
Hugh Kelly
Hugo Hickey BScArch MArch
Ian O'Reilly MRIAI ARB
Ian Tracy BArch MRIAI
Irenee Scalbert
Isabel Barros, B.Arch. (Hons.) Reg. Arch. MRIAI
Ivan O' Connell BArch
Ivor Hession MRIAI RIBA
James Corbett MRIAI
James Casey Architect
James Forbes BArch
James Hull BArch DipArch ARB
James Rossa O'Hare
Jamie Conway
​Jamie Flynn BArch
Jan Frohburg Dipl Ing Arch
Jane Larmour BSc Arch BArch MRIAI RIBA ARB
Jarek Adamczuk DipArch BArch
Jason Ladrigan BArch
Jeffrey Bolhuis IR MSc Arch
Jennifer Hogan BArch MRIAI
Jennifer Kenefick MRIAI
Jennifer O'Donnell BScArch BArch
Jennifer Wilson BScArch Tech ​​BScArch MArch ​MRIAI
Jessica Conway
Jessica Keller
Jessica O’Grady HB
Jim Doran
Jimi Shields DipArch BArch Sc AMILI
Joanne Lyons BScArch BArch
Joe Stokes BArch MRIAI
John Crowley BArch MARB MRIAI
John Dorman MRIAI
John Egan BSc
John F Casey BE CEng MIEI
John Leetch RIBA
John Nolan BComm MScMP BScArch MArch MRIAI
John Pigott BE, Cert Eng Tech, CEng, MIEI
John Tuomey MArch FRIAI FRIBA HonFAIA FRSUA
Jonathan Black ARB MRIAI
Jonathan Curran
Jonny Mc Kenna BScArch BArch MA(Urban Design) MRIAI RIBA
Judith Hill, Dip Arch, PhD
Justin VBA
Karolina Backman MArch
Kevin Barry
Keith Kelliher MSCSI MRICS FCIArb
Kevin Holmes BArchSc DipArch MRIAI
Kevin McSherry BArch
Kieran O' Brien MRIAI
Kira Handley
Kirsten Elliott MRIAI
Laura Cowan BA(Hons) DipArch
Laura Evans B.A (Hons) Dip Arch ARB RIBA
Laura Harty BSc Arch BArch MA ARB
Laura O’Gorman MRIAI Local Authority Architect
Lauren Small BArch(Hons) DipArch MRIAI
Laurence Lord BA BArch MRIAI
Leah Doyle
Leah Hogan MArch
Lee Culligan DipArch BArch
Liam Mc Inerney MRIAI
Lisa Godson
Livia Hurley BArch Sc. MLitt
Louise Cotter BArch MRIAI MRIBA
Louise McCarthy BArch
Lucy Jones MRIAI
Lucy Rainey
Luís Pedro
Luke Benson BArch
Luke Butler M.Arch
Luke McCall
Luke Reilly
Mandy Channon MRIAI ARB
Marc Golden MArch
Marc Kilkenny MRIAI ARB
Marcus Donaghy
Marcus Mulvihill BScArch BArch
Mark Arigho BA Arch BArch MRIAI ARB
Mark Corcoran BArch BscArchTech
Mark Grehan
Mark McCormack MArch
Matt Mc Cullagh BArch
Matthew Hand
Matthew Johnston
Matthew Kernan BScArch MArch
Matthew Webb BArch
Maxime Laroussi
Megan Etherton BScArch BArch
Mel McGerr MRIAI MCIAT MCABE
Merritt Bucholz
Michael McGarry FIAI RIBA
Michael O’Connor B Arch MRIAI RIBA CA
Michael O'Donoghue CEng MIEI
Michael Pike MArchSc BArch BSc MRIAI
Michali Hyams
Mike O'Dell BArch MArch
Miriam Delaney MRIAI
Muirne Lydon MA Conservation
Neasa Hourigan TD
Niamh Chambers MRIAI
Nicola Blake
Nicola Ryan BArchSc DipArch MRIAI
Nigel Holmes BArch
Noreile Breen BArch MArch PGR MRIAI
Orla Hegarty BArch FRIAI RIBA
Orla O'Kane ARB RIBA
Orla Murphy MRIAI
Orla Reynolds
Patricia Geraghty BSc Arch tech BArch MRIAI
Patrick Mooney BArch PDip Arch
Patrick Wheeler BScArch BArch MRIAI RIBA ARB
Paul Dillon BScArch MArch MRIAI
Paul Durcan
Paul Fox MRIAI
Paul McCreanor RIBA RIAI
Paul Sheeran MRIAI
Peter Brunner BSc(Eng)
Peter Carroll BArch MRIAI
Petrina Tierney MArch
Philip Brady
Philip Duffy BArch
Philip J Doran MArch (Research) BSc Land Arch
Philippe O Sullivan MRIAI
Phoebe Brady MArch BScArch MRIAI
Rachel Carmody Architect
Rachel Graham BSc Arch MArch
Rae Moore MRIAI MArch DipArch CBiz
Raissa Zanardo BArch
Ralph Montague
Raymund Ryan MArch
Reem Alsabah
Rob Shanahan MRIAI
Robert Bourke BArch DipArch MRIAI
Roisin Connolly BArch
Roisin McDonald BArch
Ronan Friel MRIAI
Rónan Kenny BSc BArch AAI President 2020
Rosaleen Crushell MRIBA ARB MUBC
Rose Bonner Alexander MRIAI
Rosie Smallwood
Ross Melbourne MRIAI
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Ryan Kennihan BArch MRIAI
Sarah Cremin BArch MArchSc
Sarah Mc Nulty BArch(Hons) Grade 3 Conservation
Séamus Bairéad Architect
Séamus Guidera MRIAI
Seamus Keller
Seán McGee, BScArch MArch ARB
Shane O'Toole HonFRIAI IntFRIBA
Shane Twohig
Sheila O’Donnell BArch MA FRIAI FRIBA HonFAIA FRSUA
Siobhán Ní Éanaigh BArch Hons. FRIAI RIBA PhD
Shane Cotter MRIAI
Shane O'Rourke BArch MRIAI
Simona Castelli
Sinead Scullion MArch
Sinead Stack BArch
Sorcha Maguire BArch
Stephen Foley
Stephen Johnston B.Arch, BSc. Arch Tech
Stephen Mawhinney BArch
Steve Larkin BSc Arch BArch MRIAI PhD
Steven Moon​
Susan Leahy MA BArch
Susan O'Driscoll BscArch BArch ARB
Susie Lynam
Tom Hegarty MRIAI
Tomas Mac Eoin B.Eng
Tara Kennedy
Therese Nolan BArch
Thomas O Brien BSc Arch BArch MRIAI
Timothy Dowling BArch
Tom Culligan BE(Hons)
Tom Dane
Tom de Paor BArch FRIAI intFRIBA
Una Daly Riai Riba Arb
Vanya Lambrecht Ward BArch RIBA
William Spratt-Murphy MArch
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