Construction BUSINESS

The Irish Government has commenced a process of developing master plans for each military installation in the State with requests for tenders to produce a masterplan for the Irish Naval Service Headquarters at Haulbowline, Co. Cork.

Minister for Defence requests the procurement of Consultancy Services to examine the future requirements/development of land based and marine/port infrastructure at the Irish Naval Service Headquarters at Haulbowline, Co. Cork, in line with Level of Ambition 2 identified by the Commission on the Defence Forces Report.

The Consultancy Services are to examine the current and future requirements/development of infrastructure in the Naval Service and to develop a Master Infrastructure Plan that considers the future requirements of the Naval Service over the short, medium and long term, (5-20 years). The Master Plan should also take into account the specific nature and limitation imposed for any development on or around the Naval Base now and into the future.

Consultancy Services to develop out a Naval Service (Haulbowline) Masterplan incorporating Part 1 (Land Based Built Infrastructure) and Part 2 (Marine/Port development); which will encompass

(a) To carry out a detailed assessment of the existing built infrastructure (land based) and the marine/port infrastructure, including an assessment of the condition of the infrastructure incorporating measures to be taken to address deficits to closed to achieve a Level of Ambition 2 (LOA 2) as set out in the Commission on the Defence Forces (2022);

(b) Provide an assessment as to the optimal organising/reconfiguration of the current infrastructure (and other developments underway at the installation) to accommodate future infrastructure provision required to achieve LOA 2, including recommendation on remedial works, new build and current configurations of the installations;

(c) Carry out a detail plan for the future development/procurement of land based infrastructure and marine/port development including whole life cycle costs for same, with the key stakeholders in the Naval Service and the Department, commensurate with LOA 2 requirements;

(d) Development of a time frame and recommended procurement methodology for the provision of the reconfiguration/new infrastructure on a 5 to 20 year timeframe, with 5 years stages for development and review;

(e) Recommendation on a maintenance regime for the entire installation and recommended delivery models for same.

(f) Review existing services, and future site requirements to include electricity network, water supply and distribution, and general service cabling routes cognisant of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Naval Base.

The Appointed Firm shall establish a team of experienced specialists across the listed Technical and Professional areas, under an agreed nominated lead specialist.

The Tender Deadline is 27/11/2024.

On 17th October Deputy Micheál Martin, Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence outlined to the the Dáil “the unprecedented levels of capital investment we are making at Haulbowline naval base in County Cork.”

In response to a question from Deputy Pádraig O’Sullivan on plans to enhance the Naval Service headquarters in Haulbowline

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said “Since the introduction of the infrastructure development plan, we have completed in excess of €12 million worth of projects at the naval base, including a refurbishment of the operations training building, an upgrade of accommodation block 8, a regeneration of Spencer jetty, an upgrade of the oil wharf and the installation of a fire detection and firefighting system.

At present, €38 million worth of projects are at various stages of the design, procurement and construction process at Haulbowline, including three accommodation projects that will in total provide another 118 beds for Naval Service personnel. The refurbishment of blocks 4 and 9 is now well advanced and both will be completed in 2025. In addition, the following projects will proceed to construction in 2025: a new gym at the old tank building, a refurbishment of the cadets’ mess, a refurbishment of the old communications building and the commencement of dredging works for the entire base. All told, this represents a committed €50 million in capital projects.”

He added that Building on this momentum, my Department has commenced a process of developing master plans for each military installation in the State, including the naval base. To this end, a tendering process will be launched in the coming days to engage consultants to develop a master plan for the Naval Service.

This will capture all future planning and infrastructure, both land and marine-based projects, for the next 20 years, ensuring that developments necessary to achieve level of ambition 2 are in place. This approach represents a step change in how we develop our military infrastructure and is further proof of my commitment to ensuring our Defence Forces have the requisite assets required to complete the taskings the Government assigns to them.”