The inaugural National Infrastructure Summit 2006

Delivering & Financing Ireland's Public Infrastructure

May 16 & 17, IMI Conference Centre, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16

The critical need for development and investment in Ireland's infrastructure is well documented. Decades of under-investment in the country's national infrastructure is affecting us all. Sustained strategic investment is needed to correct our infrastructure deficit and maintain our competitiveness as a world-class economy. Action has to be taken to speed up major projects which are essential to our competitiveness.

In a recent report, A&L; Goodbody Consulting stated - "It is increasingly apparent that, unless the approach to the appraisal, approval, project management, procurement and financing of public capital projects is overhauled, the Irish economy may never reach its true potential."

Steps in overhauling the process have included the welcome decision by the government to extend the role of the National Development Finance Agency to create a centre for excellence in delivering major projects through public private partnerships (PPPs).

Another significant milestone in the process has been the recently published Strategic Infrastructure Bill, which is designed to accelerate key spending programmes without undermining the rights of objectors.

The inaugural National Infrastructure Summit will examine these and other key issues facing government and the private sector in the delivery of efficient and reliable infrastructure services. The main sponsor of the inaugural summit is Project Management Group.

 

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

The issues that matter most to policy and decision-makers will be discussed and debated -

  • Our infrastructure deficit and the impact on the Irish economy
  • What are our future investment needs?
  • Delivering public infrastructure efficiently and effectively
  • Managing the delivery of major capital investment projects
  • How do cost overruns happen in major infrastructure projects and can we avoid them?
  • Public Infrastructure and private sector projects - myths and realities
  • Debate on the PPP model : is it time for a review of the PPP process in Ireland?
  • Lessons from the British PPP experience
  • Critical legal issues in infrastructure procurement
  • National and international case studies on major project delivery and project financing.

 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The summit has been researched and designed for decision-makers in the planning, delivery and financing of public infrastructure, such as -

  • Planners and strategists
  • Policy and decision-makers
  • Chief executives and managing directors
  • Finance directors
  • Project developers
  • Economists and investment analysts
  • Bankers and financiers
  • Public sector managers
  • Private sector contractors and service providers
  • Financial and legal advisers
  • Regulatory bodies
  • Elected representatives.

 

PROGRAMME

 

DAY 1 - Tuesday May 16

8.00 Coffee and registration

8.45 Chairman's opening address
Pat McGrath, Managing Director, Project Management Group

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT NEEDS

9.00 OPENING ADDRESS - What are the on-going investment needs of the country?
Dr Sean Barrett, Senior Lecturer in Economic, Trinty College Dublin

  • What are our infrastructure needs?
  • Infrastructure pricing, efficiency in construction and operation
  • Infrastructure and competitiveness
  • Infrastructure and the next National Development Plan

9.35 Talking investment
Ulck McEvaddy, CEO, Omega Air

Ulick McEvaddy, the well-known businessman and campaigner to build a second terminal at Dublin Airport, gives his unique perspective on our infrastructure needs.

DELIVERY OF INFRASTRUCTURE

10.05 Delivering public infrastructure efficiently and effectively
David Gavaghan, Chief Executive, Strategic Investment Board (SIB), Northern Ireland

  • The work of the Strategic Investment Board
  • Key infrastructure projects
  • Challenges ahead

10.35 Managing the delivery of a major infrastructure project
Jerry Grant, Managing Director, RPS Consultng Engineers

  • Scoping & assessment, including initial output specification and public sector benchmarking
  • Planning and statutory processes
  • Managing procurement & finalising contracts
  • Risk management through the delivery stages

 

11.05 Morning break and exhibition viewing

 

11.35 Case Study - Development of waste-to-energy infrastructure in Ireland: the Meath Waste-to-Energy Plant
John Ahern, Managing Director, Indaver Ireland, a member of Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plant (CEWEP)

The National Spatial Strategy identified waste management as a particularly pressing priority if improving quality of life and sustainable development goals are to be achieved. In this presentation, John Ahern explains the significant developments in waste management in the north-east region.

  • Waste policy & regional waste management plans in the north-east
  • Impediments to the development of the Meath waste-to-energy plant - timelines
  • Non-adherence to waste plans

12.05 INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE ADDRESS - Overdue and over budget, over and over again
Bent Flyvberg PhD, Professor of Planning, Aalborg Univerity, Denmark

Megaprojects are very large investment projects. 'Mega' also implies the size of the task involved in developing, planning and managing projects of this magnitude. The risks are substantial. Huge cost overruns are common, and substantial benefit shortfalls trouble many megaprojects. Cost overruns, combined with benefit shortfalls, mean big trouble. But a paradox exists - more and bigger megaprojects are being planned and built despite their poor performance records in terms of cost and benefits. In his presentation, Professor Flyvbjerg identifies this paradox and examines its causes and possible cures.

 

12.45 Lunch

Sponsored by

 

2.15 Welcome back from Afternoon Chair
Peter Brennan, Managing Director, A&L; Goodbody Consulting

2.20 MINISTERIAL ADDRESS
Martin Cullen, Minster for Tranport

DELIVERY OF INFRASTRUCTURE

2.45 Public infrastructure and private sector development: myths & realities
Colm Moran, Director of Infrastructure, Project Management Group

Drawing on experience in public sector and private sector projects in Ireland and internationally, Colm Moran of PM Group will examine:

  • Common trends
  • The differences and similarities between the sectors
  • The lessons each can learn from the other

3.20 The role of government in creating supportive policy and regulation
Cormac Rabbitte, Transportation Consultant

Drawing on examples from home and abroad on creative and supportive government approaches to infrastructure development proves that Ireland can develop innovative projects when there is a will to do so.

 

3.45 Afternoon break

 

4.15 LOCKNOTE ADDRESS - International Case Study - Ahead of schedule & under budget: Saudi-Aramco Haradh Gas Pipeline
Salem H Shaheen, President and Chief Executive, Petrolube Saudi Arabia

Winner of the 2004 Project Management Institute Project of the Year, the three-year project to build a €2 billion gas terminal deep in the desert and 10 kilometres from the nearest road was completed six months ahead of schedule and 27 per cent under budget.

5.00 Chairman's closing remarks

5.10 Drinks Reception to 6pm

 

DAY 2 - Wednesday May 17

9.00 Welcome from the Morning Chair

9.05 MINISTERIAL ADDRESS
Brian Cowen, Minister for Finance

9.30 Our infrastructure deficit - the impact on Irish business
Gina Quin, Chief Executive Dublin Chamber of Commerce

  • What is the economic impact of our infrastructure deficit?
  • Transport 21 and the Dublin Transport Authority
  • Critical Infrastructure Bill & PPPs
  • A vision for Dublin 2020

FINANCING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

10.00 The PPP Model: is it time for a review of the PPP process?
Reg McCabe, PPP Director, IBEC
Dr Eoin Reeves, Department of Economic, University of Limerick

The PPP framework has provided a way for government to engage the private sector's expertise and finance. It is envisaged that the private sector will play a growing role in funding, building and operating infrastructure services. However, the planned expansion of the PPP programme is taking place in the context of little debate or detailed evaluation of PPP projects that have already been delivered.
Each speaker will speak for 15 minutes. This will be followed by an open forum debate with delegates encouraged to participate.

 

10.45 Morning break and exhibition viewing

 

11.15 The evolving role of the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) in infrastructure projects
Anne Counihan, Chief Executive, National Development Finance Agency

  • The role of the NDFA
  • The NDFA's experience of PPPs to date
  • The Centre of Expertise
  • Pushing ahead with Irish PPPs

MORNING KEYNOTE ADDRESS - Lessons from the British experience of PPPs
Anthony Bicknel, Partner, Kington Capital LLP, UK

Since the early 1990s, Britain has pioneered many of the PPP structural techniques which have influenced the development of the broader PPP market elsewhere. While the British experience does not provide a template for Irish PPPs, British practitioners have gained useful experience of what works and what doesn't, which may be helpful in the ongoing development and funding of Irish infrastructure.

 

12.30 Lunch

sponsored by

 

1.45 Welcome back from Afternoon Chair

CASE STUDIES

1.50 AFTERNOON KEYNOTE ADDRESS - International Case Study: Good news stories for PFI in the British health service
Mike Davis, Director, Catalyst Lend Lease UK

The Central Manchester and Manchester Children's Hospitals development, the new Hospital for Romford and the new Queen Mary's in Roehampton are PFI landmarks. With innovative designs that will help deliver NHS reforms and high quality patient environments, each project faced complex challenges during procurement and delivery. They are striking examples of public private partnership where collaboration, flexibility and innovation overcame substantial hurdles against the odds.

2.30 Case Study - Kinnegad-Kilcock PPP project
Finn Lyden BE, CEng, FIEI, FCA, Managing Director, SIAC Constructon

This case study highlights the benefits of private sector involvement in addressing Ireland's infrastructure deficit through PPPs. Voted by Project Finance magazine as European Infrastructure Deal of the Year for 2003, the motorway recently opened ten months ahead of schedule and within budget.

 

3.00 Afternoon break and exhibition viewing

 

3.30 Case study: National Maritime College, Cork
Iain Saley, Director, Bovis Lend Lease (Ireland)

The National Maritime College, which opened in October 2004, is the first third level college to be built under the government's PPP scheme. It's a state-of-the-art college and one of the most sophisticated centres for maritime education in Europe.

4.00 Critical legal issues in education, health and justice PPPs
Ted Williams, Partner, Constructon & Projects, Arthur Cox

  • Standardisation of project documents
  • Optimal risk allocation/Full pass down
  • Independent certifier
  • Completion and testing
  • Payment mechanisms
  • Termination and compensation on termination

4.30 LOCKNOTE ADDRESS - Dublin Metro: Easy, safe and fast to build
Manuel J Melis, Professor of Railways, Universidad Poltécnica de Madrid, Professor of Soil Mechanics, Univeridad de Coruña, and President, Metro de Madrid, Spain

If there's one name on the lips of every metro advocate in Dublin, it is Professor Manuel J Melis, the President of Metro de Madrid. Consulted by the Irish government in 2003, Professor Melis believes Dublin can have a metro built in a fraction of the time and cost that was being proposed. Madrid shows that a metro system can be built quickly at a reasonable cost, but can it be done here?

5.10 Chairman's closing remarks

 

 

SPONSOR PROFILES

 


Project Management Group (PM)
is Ireland's largest full-service engineering and project management firm. Established in 1973, PM's team of 1,400 people provides professional services in project and construction management, architectural and engineering design and technical consultancy to clients in Ireland and overseas.

PM's clients come from the bio-pharma, medical and advanced technologies, food and infrastructure sectors. Multinational clients include Abbott, Pfizer, Centocor, Janssen, Glaxo Smithkline, Novartis, Elan, Boston Scientific, Genzyme, Intel, Xerox and IBM. In the public sector, PM has carried out work for Dublin Airport, Dublin Bus, NUIG, UCC, Cork City Council, Office of Public Works, Bord Gais and the Department of Education among others.

PM has grown steadily with its client base. Since 1995, the company has doubled in size and increased fee income to over €100 million in 2004.

PM's overseas activity represents 15 per cent of turnover and it is continuing to grow this market. A recent winner in the Emerging Markets category of the Irish Exporters Association Awards, PM has worked in most central and eastern European countries and in a number of other global locations in recent years. In addition to its bases in Dublin and Cork, PM has significant offices in Britain and Poland, where it has developed strong multinational client bases. In eastern Europe, PM is currently supervising infrastructure projects valued in excess of €250 million and another €200 million of industrial projects across Europe. The company is also continuing to develop its business in Ireland.

Involvement in projects such as the redevelopment of the Lansdowne Road stadium and the Centocor Biomedicines Campus underlines the level of project management expertise the company has developed.

 


RPS Consulting Engineers is Ireland's largest civil, structural and environmental engineering consultancy, with over 500 professional and technical staff. The company was formed in 2005 by the merger of two recently acquired RPS subsidiaries - RPS-MCOS (formerly MC O'Sullivan & Co), a leading provider of engineering and environmental management consultancy services throughout the Republic of Ireland with a market-leading position in strategic planning and project delivery in transportation, water services, waste management, utilities and general engineering. RPS Kirk McClure Morton (formerly Kirk McClure Morton & Partners), the leading Northern Ireland-based engineering and environmental consultancy engaged in all aspects of engineering consultancy in Northern Ireland. They have played a pioneering role in coastal/marine engineering, modelling and environmental studies, river engineering and river catchment management (RBD Studies) throughout the island of Ireland.

RPS Consulting Engineers now offers a fully integrated consultancy service on an all-island basis from offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Galway, with support offices in Carlow, Limerick and Letterkenny. The newly integrated business is committed to the highest standards of professional services, consistent with the reputations of its predecessor companies.

 

EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES

Raise your profile, network with decision-makers attending this event and generate new business leads by exhibiting at the National Infrastructure Summit.

For details call Marion Wallace on 087- 2461662 or email [email protected]

 

BOOKING/CONTACT INFORMATION - Click Here

BROCHURE - Click Here

 

 

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