Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Public Spending Code sets out the value for money guidelines for the evaluation, planning and management of public investment projects. The Public Spending Code was replaced and superseded with a set of Infrastructure Guidelines, published in December 2023 by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. The arrangements set out in the Guidelines apply to all public bodies in receipt of Exchequer capital funding. This comprises public infrastructure projects including the construction of social and affordable housing by local authorities on their own land.

The question asks about the four-step planning for the delivering of social and affordable housing. I assume that the question is referring to the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF) four stage pre-construction process used by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the construction of social housing on their own land.

It is the intention of my Department to draw up specific sectoral guidance for social housing construction projects which align with the new Infrastructure Guidelines and the CWMF.

The CWMF derives from, and is complementary to, the Public Spending Code. The CWMF is issued by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) and is used by contracting authorities involved in the expenditure of public funds on construction projects and related consultancy services. The main objectives of the CWMF are to provide cost certainty at tender award stage, value for money and more efficient delivery of public works projects. It is noted in the new Infrastructure Guideline that the CWMF will be updated to reflect the specific provisions of the Infrastructure Guidelines.

The CWMF provides guidance on review stages which remains consistent with the principles that underpin the Infrastructure Guidelines. The review stages allow for appropriate project and risk management at each stage, and ensure that the project is delivering an appropriate, cost efficient design which offers value for money.