27 minute read
Lean Journeys
Lean Construction Ireland 2021 national conference – taking place on 3 November, will inspire and challenge the future of Irish construction!
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Lean Construction Ireland (LCi) will host a unique multi-track one-day virtual conference on 3 November 2021.
Theme
The theme of the event will be: ‘Delivering Construction Projects Better, Faster, Together' and will be presented on a professional conference platform which allows and encourages interaction and networking between all attendees.
The aim of the conference is to bring together leading experts in the field of Lean construction from the Irish and international communities – to both inspire and challenge the industry to implement Lean thinking and practices on their public and private construction projects.
Over 600 delegates are predicted to attend this year’s event, a rise of over 20% from the inaugural event in 2018.
Opportunity
Delegates will have the opportunity to learn about Lean construction from industry leaders on how they can leverage the benefits of Lean concepts to deliver quality projects that are safer,
About Lean Construction Ireland
Lean Construction Ireland is an all-island, independent, not-for-profit association whose members passionately believe that Lean thinking and practices can enable and sustain enhanced e ectiveness, e ciency, productivity, and profitability for the Irish construction sector, client organisations, and the supply chain.
Vision
construction sector where projects are delivered better, faster and together that embrace the principle of collaboration underpinned through the adoption of Lean thinking and practices.
Lean Construction Ireland leads a community of learning and practice that promotes the application of Lean thinking and practices throughout the Irish Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) sector – so as to realise value-add for all stakeholders in the value chain.
It supports the free and open exchange of knowledge, information, and experiences around good practices and case studies.
ABOVE: Jason Casey, Lean Construction Ireland, vice-chair – ‘excited and proud to see the third Lean Construction Ireland national conference come together on 3 November.’
Supports
It also supports ongoing research into Lean practices nationally and globally, their application to AEC, and their sharing with the wider Lean Construction Ireland Community.
faster and more profitable - leading to increased stakeholder satisfaction and customer value for money.
One of Europe’s largest lean construction conferences, the 2021 event will be structured in a way to provide attendees with multiple stream options which allow for interactive engagement sessions.
Sponsors of the LCi 2021 national conference include Ardmac, DPS, Fluor, Jones Engineering, Philip Lee, Autodesk, Sisk Group, Procore and Exyte. (At time of writing)
Jason Casey (Lean Construction Ireland, Vice Chair) says: ‘I am extremely excited and proud to see the third Lean Construction Ireland national conference come together on 3 November on our virtual conference platform.
Showcase
‘The theme of the conference: “Delivering Construction Projects Better, Faster, Together” creates an excellent opportunity to showcase the shared knowledge and innovation that exists within Ireland’s construction sector and demonstrates where organisations are adopting Lean thinking and practices that have led to better outcomes and value for all project stakeholders.
‘With presentations from both national and international keynote speakers and exhibits from leading Irish Lean practitioners, the conference provides delegates with the information and knowledge required to enhance their understanding of Lean Construction Life goes on this year and so too does Lean Construction of course! Recently, Lean Construction Ireland (LCi), launched the third edition of its Annual Book of Cases!
Lean Construction Ireland (LCi) is a community of learning and practice that advocates for the transformation of the Irish construction sector through the adoption of Lean thinking and practices by the entire sector to enable and sustain enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, and profitability for all stakeholders in the value chain.
A core principle
A core LCi principle is that the open exchange of knowledge, information, and experiences around good Lean practices is a fundamental factor in the sector’s adoption of Lean and its transformation journey.
So, it is with great pleasure that Lean Construction Ireland launched the third publication of its Annual Book of Cases – the key Lean Construction reference publication for the Irish construction sector, from clients and owners to professional services providers, contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, consultants, and academia.
The Book provides real-world, practical, and accessible examples of Irish Construction sector organisations implementing Lean thinking and practices.
Each case provides the context for the Lean initiative; details the Lean thinking, tools, and techniques applied on the initiative and describes the impact and benefits of the initiative.
ABOVE: Lean Construction Ireland (LCi), Book of Cases
Significant progress
These cases clearly demonstrate that the Irish construction sector is making significant progress in understanding and implementing Lean thinking and practices on capital project delivery as well as for internal operational excellence, adding real value for all project stakeholders and business owners.
To download a digital version of the Lean Construction Ireland Book of Cases 2020 please visit: www. leanconstructionireland.ie
Here at CMI we take a great interest in the annual GMIT International Construction Management Day conference. Here, Dr Martin Taggart, chair, summarises what the speakers had to say at the eleventh such event which was, of course, held ‘remotely’ due to the ongoing covid-19 situation. Huge praise goes to Dr Taggart and all involved, once again – the event was a huge success and the tone was upbeat!
ABOVE: GMIT Campus
GMIT Conference heard construction industry remained very positive about rapid recovery post-Covid
The eleventh Annual GMIT International Construction Management Day Conference was held at GMIT, Galway.
Due to the pandemic the conference was held fully online this year, attracting an audience of over 700 delegates.
The conference is generally attended by Architects, Engineers, Surveyors, Contractors, Academics from across the island of Ireland and senior students from the built environment disciplines.
Additionally, the conference is attended by staff from local authorities and semi-state bodies, and people with an interest in the building environment.
Annually
Engineering at GMIT and chaired by lecturer Dr Martin Taggart.
It is supported and sponsored by: The Construction Industry Federation (CIF), The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE).
The conference was opened by GMIT President, Dr Orla Flynn, and Head of GMIT School of Engineering, Professor Graham Heaslip, who warmly welcomed delegates from near and far.
Dr Flynn noted she had attended the 2020 conference before she took up her role as GMIT President and reflected on the very changed situation we find ourselves in.
Professor Heaslip said he was delighted to be attending his first conference and noted that the deliberations of the conference could clearly be seen influencing regional and national policy, particularly in areas such as construction innovation.
Regular
The first speaker was John O’Regan, Director of AECOM Ireland. John is a conference regular and is a well-known draw for delegates, who look forward to his detailed review of the construction sector and evaluation of its prospects.
John outlined the severe impact that the Covid-19 pandemic was having on the sector in terms of lost output, with an estimate reduction in 2020 of over €7bn on the preceding year.
John noted that three big challenges
and areas of opportunity for the industry were widespread adoption of data and digitalisation, carbon reduction and adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
John concluded that whilst the situation was currently very difficult, there was still a very significant pipeline of work moving through the system.
John also introduced a team of young graduates that AECOM had hired during the pandemic, illustrating that demand and jobs remained very good in the sector.
Interview
The next segment of the conference entailed a wide-ranging interview by Dr Martin Taggart with Frank Kelly, President of the CIF, and Director of Construction at Walls Construction and Tom Parlon, Director General of the CIF. (Aside from the current situation at the time and major issues surrounding Covid-19) other matters discussed concerned the CIF agenda for diversity and inclusivity in the industry; skills shortages in the trades; mental health and wellbeing and, the impact of Covid-19 on the SME sector.
Concluding the session, Dr Taggart asked Tom and Frank to say a word or two to students who were soon to graduate and may be worried about their prospects.
Both Tom and Frank noted that they saw a very positive future.
Unlike the recent economic recession, they noted that the pipeline of work was still there and government and EU investment to restore industry is the preferred plan.
Frank also noted that the problems we had before the pandemic have not vanished.
Martin Taggart noted that GMIT had held a built environment careers day the previous Friday and that twenty-four companies had carried out over 300 interviews with eighty students who would graduate this year.
Discussion
The next section of the conference involved a three-way discussion on building a sustainable and inclusive culture within the construction industry.
President of the CIOB, Mark Beard, who is also Chairman of Beard Construction UK, joined the conference from Oxford and was in conversation with Dr Martin Taggart and Justin Molloy, Director of the CIF.
Mark Beard first outlined the issues that required business to adopt a supportive culture, noting that such a situation was very good for the employees, but also made very good business sense, positively impacting in areas such as motivating and retaining top quality staff, aiding in recruitment as a desired employer, and increasing productivity.
Mark noted that relatively simple approaches such as having an opendoor policy and listening to the concerns of his staff and being very open and transparent when things get difficult pay great dividends in building trust.
Mark outlined the contribution that adopting frameworks developed by Investors in People had achieved.
Justin Molloy agreed that there needed to be a coordinated approach to developing a happy workforce and discussed the benefits of the Considerate Constructor Scheme which focuses on both a ‘good neighbours’ approach by contractors and respect of people in terms of their site workforce.
ABOVE: Dr Martin Taggart
Lifelong learning
The next speaker of the day was John Barfoot, Learning, Education and Academic Director of CABE.
John joined the conference from Northampton and spoke about the need for professionals to adopt a lifelong learning approach to help develop their competencies in their chosen profession.
John noted that the initial studies that students undertake at college are vitally important, but their graduation should be the start of their competence journey and not the endpoint.
John outlined the extensive number of professional bodies that promote Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Ireland and require their members to remain up to date in their chosen field.
An interesting question was posed from the audience concerning the lockdown on levels of CPD.
John said that the professional bodies had rapidly adapted their CPD offerings to an online world and noted that attendances appeared to have increased.
He concluded that more online offerings may encourage more professionals to attend CPD events. CABE are currently reviewing the nature of future CPD provision.
Housing
The final speaker in the first session was Micheál Mahon, President of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), who focused on the housing crisis in Ireland, noting that it was one of the forgotten issues of the pandemic but was still a very live and growing problem.
He gave a very detailed and authoritative overview of the issues of lack of affordability in the Irish housing sector based on a very detailed research study carried out by the SCSI.
The report noted that in Dublin, a couple on a combined salary of €88,000 could not afford to purchase a new-build 3-bedroom house which has a typical delivery cost of €371,000 once land, build costs and all fees are included.
Even with a large deposit and maximum mortgage the couple would still fall a minimum of €25,000 short of the delivery price.
The excessive costs associated with building accommodation means that the stated numbers of dwellings needed to address the crisis will simply not be viable for contractors/developers to construct in many cases.
The SCSI proposed a detailed 18-point plan of recommendations to ease the situation and make construction of dwellings more viable.
The recommendations include planning reform, cost benefit analysis of any future building regulation changes, measures to free up land for
development, enhanced support with critical infrastructure and a range of supports for potential house purchasers and renters.
Distinct focus
The second half of the conference had a distinct focus on innovation in the construction sector.
The first speaker was Sean Downey, who is Director of Specialist Contracting with the CIF.
Sean informed the conference of the many changes coming down the tracks in terms of innovation.
For decades the construction industry has been under-funded in terms of government support in the areas of research and development.
This was surprising, given the critical nature and size of the industry to the Irish economy.
Sean was pleased to note that that situation is changing rapidly, and a large range of initiatives are fast coming to fruition.
These changes include the support and opening of a National Build Digital Centre to support excellence in Building Information Modelling and digital adoption.
The centre is supported by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
Additionally, a National Centre of Excellence for the construction industry to drive innovation in areas such as Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and construction process improvement is progressing under the umbrella of Enterprise Ireland.
Dr Martin Taggart was very pleased to note that the original concept of such a centre was established several years ago at the GMIT International Construction Management Day Conference between GMIT Staff and Past-President of CIF, Dominic Doheny.
The CIF took on the concept, supported by GMIT, and hopefully the centre will open next year.
Innovation
Four GMIT Staff then presented on areas of innovation in the construction sector, reporting on both the future needs of the industry and assessing how academia can collaborate in providing the new skills needed.
John Scahill gave an overview of the new Digital Academy for a Sustainable Built Environment project (DASBE).
The DASBE project has been granted €7.5m funding via the Human Capital Initiative funding programme.
The DASBE project team is led by Limerick IT, with strategic partners GMIT, Athlone IT, Waterford & Wexford ETB, The Irish Green Building Council, Tipperary Energy Agency, and Future Jobs Ireland.
GMIT have been tasked with developing a wide range of new skillsets via academic programmes at master’s level and below to provide the pipeline of people needed for areas such as the circular economy, regulation, and digital skills.
ABOVE: Top, L to R: Sean Downey, Director of Specialist Contracting, CIF; Frank Kelly, President, CIF; Gerard Nicholson, GMIT; Micheál Mahon, President SCSI; Irene Hayden, GMIT; John O’Regan, Director, AECOM Ireland; John Scahill, GMIT. Bottom, L to R: John Barfoot, Learning, Education and Academic Director, CABE; Justin Molloy, Director CIF; Dr Martin Taggart, Conference Chair and GMIT lecturer; Tom Parlon, Director General, CIF; Mark Beard, President, CIOB; Dr Mark Kelly, GMIT.
‘An interesting question wAs posed from the Audience concerning the lockdown on levels of cpd. John BArfoot, (leArning, educAtion And AcAdemic director of cABe) sAid thAt the professionAl Bodies hAd rApidly AdApted their cpd offerings to An online world And noted thAt AttendAnces AppeAred to hAve increAsed.’
Thoughtful
Irene Hayden, lecturer at GMIT made a very thoughtful presentation on the teaching of regulation.
Irene noted that regulations, such as the Building Regulations are an everchanging area and even professionals find it very difficult to keep up to date on the latest requirements.
Irene also felt that this trend would only increase in the future.
She is designing an innovative programme in the area of regulation teaching, using web-based visualisation techniques to make the area of regulation more accessible.
The programme will eventually include certificate, diploma, and master’s degree offerings.
Gerard Nicholson, lecturer in digital skills and technologies at GMIT looked at the fast-moving area of digital technologies and building information modelling.
Gerard, a GMIT graduate himself, has been involved in those areas for many years’ and noted that the
ABOVE: College life at GMIT
Covid-19 pandemic had driven digitalisation onto new heights.
Even, the GMIT conference was now fully on online.
Gerard reflected on both the lowering costs and improved performance of digital technologies, noting that things that might have taken him a day a few years ago, can now be done in minutes.
He ranged over areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Automation, Gamification, and 3D printing; all of which have a role to play in addressing some of the social and technological issues discussed earlier in the conference.
Final speaker
The last speaker of the day was Dr Mark Kelly, lecturer in GMIT. Mark heads up the GMIT BIM-360 research group.
Mark is a very active researcher in the area of Circular Economy. This is a concept that views materials in a building as being ‘temporary’ and when the effective lifecycle of the building is finished, that they can be repurposed or recycled in a sustainable way, going full circle.
This approach, which is starting to move rapidly up the political agenda will change the ways in which projects are both designed and constructed.
Mark is actively working on developing new academic programmes that are focused on sustainable design and construction using a circular economy approach.
Close
Professor Graham Heaslip brought proceedings to a close.
Mary Rogers, Head of Department of Building and Civil Engineering, congratulated Dr Martin Taggart on his commitment to the ongoing development of the conference since its launch in 2010.
She was absolutely delighted that the conference had been so successful as a fully online event that was a new experience for the department, students and staff.
Mary noted that she was ‘particularly pleased that students who will shortly graduate in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Quantity Surveying, and Architectural Technology got to hear first-hand a very positive message from industry, not just post Covid-19, but also for an exciting and innovative future’.
Links to presentations
Copies of the speakers' presentations can be found here: https://www. gmit.ie/engineering/constructgmitpresentations-2021 They may be used for educational and CPD purposes.
Conference Video
The video of the conference day will be available for several months on the conference website at: https:// crowdcomms.com/gmitconstruction Thereafter, it will be moved to the GMIT International Construction Management Day YouTube repository.
The YouTube repository contains over 120 videos from past conferences. They cover a wide variety of presentations of interest to the community: International Construction Management Conference - YouTube
One of our regular check-ins in this section is with WIT in Waterford. No stranger to the pages of CMi, Brian Graham tells us about an innovative course in construction site management.
Launched in September 2018, the BSc in Construction Site Management was developed by Waterford Institute of Technology in response to the construction industry’s critical need for suitably qualified and experienced Site Managers.
Include
Participants typically include those who have progressed to a supervisory/ management role from a trades background and/or with substantial site experience.
A full Level 7 qualification, it is delivered over twelve months via an innovative blended delivery approach combining classroom and online learning.
This has proven to be attractive to both learners and their employers, facilitating student flexibility and ensuring that companies retain and upskill staff while remaining in the workplace.
The intended participants of this course have historically suffered from a lack of appropriate educational opportunities and many have had to overcome significant personal challenges in returning to formal education.
With these issues in mind, the course places a strong emphasis upon recognising and incorporating the learner’s experiences into the learning process, moving away from teaching to learning that embraces reflection, discussion and guided development.
The curriculum focuses upon the development of both constructionspecific competencies and broader personal and professional skills.
Through this educational process, graduates of the course have grown in confidence and are now assured in their role as Construction Management professionals.
Below: Graduating class 2019
Course Development
Initial discussions around developing this course commenced in mid-2017 with John O’Shaughnessy (MD of Clancy Construction and Chair of the Education, Training and Skills Committee of the CIF), and John has remained instrumental in the continued success of this course since it launched in 2018.
In developing the course, WIT conducted an extensive consultation process with various stakeholders including: the South East Regional Skills Forum (SERSF), numerous local and national construction companies, as well as the Construction Industry Federation, in order to understand the sector requirements and the level of demand for a particular education course that would enhance site management practice and facilitate the effective delivery of construction projects.
These stakeholders are cognisant that with the projected growth in demand in construction and the lack of both skilled labour and general labour, the role of site management
to deliver projects will be critical to the success of both construction companies and the wider industry.
The course team also drew heavily on their experience of delivering Construction Management education in the form of the fulltime BSc (Hons) in Construction Management & Engineering and the flexibly delivered MSc in Construction Project Management.
WIT have been at the forefront of developments in Construction Management education in Ireland for over thirty years and view this new course as the latest development in meeting the needs of industry.
Course structure & delivery
The course has been designed to reflect the needs of employers, current best practice in Construction Management education and the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) requirements for their Chartered Membership.
It places a strong emphasis upon the development of management skills; coupled with an in-depth knowledge of building technology and services; and the legal and regulatory responsibilities of the modern Site Manager.
The course is structured across three semesters over a twelve-month period, consisting of the following modules:
Semester 1 (September to December) • Communications for Construction
Site Managers (5 credits) • Construction Management & Psychology (5 credits) • Site Safety Management (5 credits) • Building Technology (5 credits)
Semester 2 (January to May) • Site Project Management (5 credits) • Site Administration & Regulatory
Environment (5 credits) • Building Services Systems (5 credits) • Work-Based Learning (10 credits)
Summer (June to August) • Site Management
Placement (15 credits)
A blended approach to delivery combining face-to-face classes on a block release basis with online support was identified as the preferred method from both an employee’s and employers’ perspective.
This entails attendance at WIT for 2 full day sessions (8 hours contact per day), 4 times for both Semester 1 and Semester 2, with a placement module taking place during Semester 3 at the learner’s place of work.
Online learner engagement is facilitated through the use of both synchronous and asynchronous communications technologies such as Zoom, MS Teams and Moodle (WIT’s Learning Management System).
Course participants
Providing a relevant, worthwhile and flexibly delivered course for busy construction professionals has been the single greatest achievement to-date.
Historically, accessing appropriate educational opportunities has been a challenge for qualified tradespeople and experienced Foremen/Site Managers.
Many of the participants left formal education at a young age to pursue a trade and returning to study presents a significant challenge for them, both personally and professionally.
By empowering participants through the educational process, many of them have grown in confidence and now recognise the valuable contribution which they make to their projects, company and society in general.
Course participants are drawn from a wide range of companies and different sectors of the industry.
Various local and national contractors including Clancy Construction, Tom O’Brien Construction, John Sisk, BAM Contractors, Collen Construction, Mythen Construction and S&K Carey, have put their staff through the course already.
Staff from specialist contractors such as Weltec Engineering, Radley Engineering, Modubuild, SNC Lavalin and OMC Technologies have also completed the course.
Backgrounds
The diversity of participants' backgrounds, experiences and employers contribute greatly to class discussions and peer learning.
Keith Barry, a Site Manager with Waterford-based contractor Tom O’Brien Construction, attests to this, stating:
‘In the group, we were all mature students. So, we all had our own information to share and knowledge to share also…everyone had something different to bring to the table.’
Feedback from graduates of the course indicates that many have progressed to new, more advanced Construction Management roles either with their existing employers or new ones.
Many have assumed additional responsibility in managing more challenging and/or complex construction projects, whilst others are actively pursuing further educational opportunities and professional body recognition.
Qualification & progression
Under the National Framework of Qualifications, the course is a Level 7 major award, upon completion of which, graduates of the course can progress to a Level 8 degree.
With relevant management experience, graduates can also apply for Chartered Membership with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) through the Professional Review process, allowing for the use of the professional title Chartered Construction Manager.
Course costs
The course has also been successful in securing funding under the Springboard programme; with fifteen places funded in 2018/19, twenty places in 2019/20 and twenty places in 2020/21.
This funding has been critical in terms of getting the course off the ground and developing its profile with industry.
Under the Springboard programme of funding, there were twenty places available in 2020 at a subsidised cost of €510 per participant.
Outside of Springboard, the cost for the course is €3500 for self-funded participants.
Future developments
Support of the course from industry remains strong and it is intended to build upon the initial success by applying for continued Springboard funding for twentyfive students for the 2021/22 academic year (at time of writing).
Plans are also well underway to develop a follow-on Level 8 Construction Management course for graduates of the BSc in Construction Site Management and other Level 7 built environment courses.
Further information on the course can be found at www.wit.ie/sitemgt or by contacting Brian graham (right) at bgraham@wit.ie
January 2019 saw the merger of Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), IT Tallaght and IT Blanchardstown.
Since then, there has been a gradual move to a central campus at Grangegorman, which is the largest investment in Higher Education in Europe, providing a cutting-edge campus for the students.
TU Dublin is now the largest higher education institution in the State with almost 28,000 students and over 3,000 staff.
The School of Surveying and Construction Management is located at Bolton St. just a short walk from the new Grangegorman Campus.
The School is Dublin’s only School of Land, Construction, and Property Surveying and the only school of its type in the state with a unique focus on particular specialisms related to property, construction and geomatics.
Links
The School has very close links with the Construction Industry, with the Construction Management, Quantity Surveying and Geomatics programmes providing graduates to the industry with the skills required to meet the challenges of an ever-changing industry.
The BSc (Hons) Construction Management is a four-year full-time programme, leading to an Honours Degree award in Construction Management and is designed for those who wish to make their careers in management in the construction industry.
Through a combination of the active links of the programme team with industry and the strong emphasis on project work throughout the programme, this programme provides a sound education in the different aspects of this field while remaining close to the practical needs of those who wish to develop a career in construction.
The Work Experience module in the third year of the programme allows the student to experience at first hand, the challenges and opportunities of working in the industry.
DIT Grangegorman Rathdown House Springtime
An Croi
Plenty of opportunities at TU Dublin!
The third level sector in Ireland is going through significant changes and none more so than at Technological University (TU) Dublin.
The School has also developed an ‘Earn As You Learn’ model for undergraduate education. This is a new part-time model redesigned, in consultation with the industry, to closely replicate and prepare students for the construction industry.
This model allows students to be awarded credit for their work-based learning while also attending class on a part-time basis.
The ‘Earn As You Learn’ in Quantity Surveying and Construction Economics recently won in the Third Level Course – CPD or Postgraduate category at the ICE awards.
The opportunities at post graduate level have expanded within the school and likely to further expand in the near future with the development of an MSc in Building Surveying and in Project Management currently being developed.
Collaborating
The school is also actively collaborating with many of its industry partners on research projects bringing benefits to both the University and the industry.
The School has seen the leadership change significantly with a new Head of School in Dr Mark Mulville, Dr Frank Harrington as discipline lead for Real Estate and Ruairi Hayden as discipline lead for Construction Management and Geomatics.
The new school leadership are also very excited with the opportunities the Design and Construct Project will bring.
Located at Broombridge
The Design and Construct centre for construction education will be located at Broombridge.
It will be a centre of excellence for collaborative education, research and industry engagement for the Construction sector in Ireland.
This will see the delivery of construction and surveying education equip graduates in Ireland for careers in a fast-moving sector.
The Diploma Centre at the Law Society of Ireland offers a Diploma in Construction Law, which begins on 9 October 2021.
This course, open to lawyers and suitably qualified construction professionals, provides an overview of the specialised discipline that is construction law and practice in Ireland.
Claire O’Mahony, acting head of the Diploma Centre, says for over twenty years the Diploma Centre has provided continuing professional education and training in Ireland.
‘Our primary aim is to offer high-quality postgraduate courses with an emphasis on efficient and flexible course delivery and welcoming customer service.
‘We provide a flexible approach to learning, and courses are delivered by experienced practitioners and industry leaders.’
Proliferation
The increasing complexity of construction law provides for a proliferation of contracts and conflict and dispute resolution mechanisms.
This complexity has led to a demand for professionals with the skills to analyse, manage, and solve intricate problems that often arise on major projects.
Now in its fifth year, this diploma will take a practical approach to the complex issues that arise from the multiparty nature of the construction process.
Participants will be introduced to the standard forms of construction contracts with particular focus on the public works and RIAI contracts.
Prominent
Other prominent areas of study include the Construction Contracts Act 2013, allocation of risk between the employer and the contractor, collateral warranties and bonds, specialists and subcontractors, and the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014.
This course is suitable for: • Solicitors currently working in the area or those who would be interested in practising in this area, • Dispute resolution solicitors and barristers looking to broaden their understanding of an area of law that generates a large amount of claims and litigation, • Construction professionals, including engineers, claims surveyors, and expert witnesses.
The course is also recognised by Engineers Ireland for CPD purposes.
Modules of study include: Module 1: An introduction to Construction Law • Specialised stream for lawyers introducing the construction process • Specialised introductory stream for non-lawyers introducing the principles of the law of contract • An overview of the standard forms of contract • Specialists and subcontractors
Module 2: Construction procurement – the tendering process • An overview of the Public
Procurement Directive • The tendering procedure • Remedies available to unsuccessful candidates
Module 3: Construction contracts • Responsibility for design in construction contracts • Lump sum and quantities contracts • Supply chain: subcontracting • Change • Time and completion • Security and overall liability • Ordinary certification and payment Module 4: Construction dispute resolution • Multiparty construction litigation • Conciliation and mediation • Dispute resolution through adjudication • Arbitration practice and procedure
For further information visit www. lawsociety.ie/diplomacentre or contact Liam Dunne (course leader) by emailing: l.dunne@ lawsociety.ie or telephone: 01 881 5744 or the Diploma Team by emailing: diplomateam@lawsociety.ie.
