Construction BUSINESS

An overhaul to the procurement process for the construction of on campus student accommodation for the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) has been announced by the Grangegorman Development Agency.

Despite the 12 week delay that this new procurement process will have on the construction timeline, all stakeholders have agreed that this was the best outcome to ensure the delivery of 700 bed spaces in time for the beginning of the academic year in September 2019.

The much needed student accommodation will accommodate 10,000 students and over 1,000 staff, with the revamped procurement process for this latest tranche an attempt to ensure this delivery.

The massive project at Grangegorman has already seen many new facilities developed and opened. This includes a new state of the art mental health facility, the Phoenix Care Centre, which opened in 2013. The first 1,200 students and staff arrived on campus in September 2014, while this year saw the launch of a new DIT research and business incubation building, the Greenway Hub.

Ger Casey, chief executive officer of the Grangegorman Development Agency said that the delivery of on campus student accommodation was a “priority and that all parties were working in close cooperation to ensure the realisation of these much needed facilities.” He also indicated that the new procurement process will “reflect some changes that assist potential developers in fulfilling the requirements and will also result in an enhanced accommodation facility.”

The GDA and the Department of Education and Skills are facilitating the procurement process.