We have started 2023 the way we mean to go on, with a series of senior engagement meetings, ensuring the voice of ACE members in Northern Ireland is heard loud and clear.

Peter James, director of Commercial Delivery Group with the Construction and Procurement Delivery team at the Department for Finance, spoke at our first committee meeting in January.

Our committee welcomed this engagement, with insightful discussions on planning and pipeline, avoiding a "race to the bottom", simplifying tendering documents, and effective collaboration between industry and government.

The committee is delighted to support the establishment of a new Emerging Professional Network in Northern Ireland, which will be an excellent way to engage the next generation of consultants and engineers.

Further engagement meetings in this quarter included the Construction Professionals Council for Northern Ireland, which represents 19 professional bodies with over 9,000 members who provided comments on the Department for Education’s Draft Net Zero Carbon Strategy.

We also enjoyed a fascinating discussion with Justin Sullivan, chair of the Construction Industry Council in the UK.

This was followed by a trip to the Parliament Building for the Royal Society of Ulster Architects, Climate Action Paper. It was great to discuss policy developments and projects with like-minded professionals on topics such as the skills shortage, higher-level apprenticeships, meeting net zero, and procurement and contracts. 

Following a busy week, I attended an informative event at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) hosted by the Northern Ireland Construction Group in collaboration with the UK Department for Transport (DfT).

The event provided an excellent opportunity to network with senior representatives from the Department for Transport, HS2, Network Rail, and many other organisations.

Discussions focused on what the DfT could do to help Northern Ireland SMEs with tendering and existing opportunities. The event emphasised to me, the importance of SMEs remaining engaged and feeling supported in the sector.

It has been a pleasure to represent our members in Northern Ireland and advocate for our collective voice at a number of events.

In light of the upcoming publication of our ACE Northern Ireland Policy Manifesto for 2023, these engagements have provided a welcome opportunity for our members to voice their challenges and concerns to government officials and relevant stakeholders.

At a time when the political climate is uncertain, this type of engagement is critical to maintain an ongoing dialogue with officials.

For further information on ACE’s work in Northern Ireland and how to get involved, visit our website.

Andrew Campbell is the chair of ACE Northern Ireland.