ASSOCIATION NEWS
JOSEPH KILORY, POLICY & PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER CIOB IRELAND...
CIOBPolicy andPublicAffairs Northern Ireland
C IOB’s decision to recognise the enthusiasm of its significant membership base in Northern Ireland with a dedicated policy function has proved well timed. The amount and variety of work that has presented itself since January 2020 has made having a voice in the policy world essential to the growth of the Institute in Northern Ireland. PROCUREMENT The struggle for parity of esteem with other professional bodies in public procurement processes has been a long-standing issue for CIOB’s members in Northern Ireland. The recent reorganisation of procurement governance offered an opportunity to revisit the issue. During summer 2020, CIOB’s policy team, working together with the Belfast Hub, instigated bilateral discussions with Construction Procurement Delivery in the Department of Finance (CPD) to address this. In June of this year, the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Finance wrote to CIOB confirming that members will be recognised in public procurements going forward. Achieving recognition for CIOB members at the pre-qualification
stage of public procurement processes gives members access to a range of public sector building projects. The Institute continues to engage with Centres for Procurement Expertise (COPE) in order to achieve blanket recognition in all public procurement across Northern Ireland.
CONSULTATIONS The CIOB went through the
valuable process of adapting its policy positions on a series of topics, including skills, quality and sustainability in construction to the Northern Ireland context. This has allowed us to give comprehensive responses to a series of strategically important consultations including the Executive’s Programme for Government Consultation and the Department for Communities Housing Supply Strategy. These responses are proving invaluable as a means of communicating the CIOB’s policy expertise to central government.
Joseph Kilory, Policy & Public Affairs Manager CIOB Ireland.
has seen us become an active member of the All-Party Group on Climate Change and the Northern Ireland Heritage Skills Reference Group. These fora, in addition to our positions on the All-Party Group on Construction and industry groups such as the NICG and CPCNI, provide valuable opportunities to share our policy positions with Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). MEDIA As CIOB’s profile as a policy voice in Northern Ireland builds, we are gaining traction with the media. In print, both industry and national papers have covered our work; and on screen CIOB recently contributed an interview for a piece by BBC NI Newsline on the impact of the shortage of raw materials on the construction sector. This all serves to position the Institute as a voice of authority on the construction sector and allows CIOB to meaningfully fulfil its Charter pledge to ‘promote the science and practice of building and construction for the benefit of society’ in Northern Ireland.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS With COP 26 approaching,
sustainability in construction is a policy priority for CIOB. It is therefore fitting that the last year
“This all serves toposition the Institute as a voice of authority on the construction sector.”
Your CIOB contact for the Ireland and Northern Ireland region is: Niamh Webbley-O’Gorman Regional Manager – T: +353 (0)1 513 7528 E: nwebbley-ogorman@ciob.org.uk - www.ciob.org
www.northernbuilder.co.uk
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