Builder BAM Ireland has said timelines for the long-awaited national children’s hospital remain in flux, warning that a firm completion date won’t be locked in until the final design is signed off.
The company pushed back against criticism ahead of a hearing of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, arguing that some of the figures circulating about the project are ‘selective’ and don’t accurately reflect overall progress.
The €2 billion hospital is being delivered by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB), claims that BAM has not provided an updated target date for substantial completion.
Among the issues due to be raised are problems with dust in ventilation systems and a large volume of defects identified across the site.
The board is set to say there are more than 106,000 defects across over 5,700 rooms, all requiring attention, and that BAM has revised its projected finish date on numerous occasions.
BAM, however, says this is standard for a project of this scale, describing the works as part of routine ‘snagging and commissioning’ in the final phases of construction.
It also challenged how progress is being reported, noting that while just over 3,100 rooms are officially marked as complete, more than 1,200 additional spaces have already been handed over and are awaiting sign-off.
The contractor added that the project is still subject to ongoing contractual processes, including negotiations around design changes, time extensions, and overall costs.
According to BAM, a conciliator has already recommended payments exceeding €140 million alongside deadline extensions of more than 300 days, with a further €53 million agreed in relation to client-led design revisions.
For now, the company maintains that timelines will continue to shift until every aspect of the design is finalised.
Children’s Health Ireland boss Lucy Nugent told the Public Accounts Committee that it is ‘unlikely’ the hospital will open in 2026.
Chief Executive of the National Children’s Development Board David Gunning told the PAC that there are more than 12,000 defects in the project that need to be addressed and are delaying the completion.
He said: ‘We had 15 operating theatre floors that needed to be replaced. We have issues with water leaks coming in from the outside and leaks from within the building from some of the plumbing and other systems.
‘The duct cleaning is an issue that has developed over the last number of weeks.
‘These are all issues that rest entirely with the contractor.’
Mr Gunning claimed that BAM are deploying ‘insufficient resources’ to deliver on their timelines, which is resulting in the hospital opening being repeatedly delayed.
He said that the hospital will likely be completed and handed over to CHI ‘within months’, but they are awaiting a 19th completion date from BAM.
In a statement, builders BAM said: ‘The National Children’s Hospital is the largest healthcare investment in the State’s history, and what is being described is the normal snagging and commissioning phase required on projects of this scale and complexity.
‘For example, of the 5,728 areas/rooms in this hospital, it has been reported that just 3,185 have been completed, ignoring the fact that an additional 1,219 have been offered to the client and are awaiting review.
‘The public have seen for themselves in recent weeks through broadcast media coverage that this is a high-quality project in its final stages.
‘The statement noted that evolving completion dates were identified as a key risk as far back as 2019, when PwC highlighted ongoing design change as one of the biggest challenges to delivery.
‘Through the contract’s dispute resolution process, the conciliator has already recommended BAM over €140million, along with time extensions of over 300 days. Due to client-instructed design changes, in addition to this, an increase of €53million has been agreed as provisional sums for BAM.’
