The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) has confirmed that no agreed completion date or timeline is currently in place for Ireland’s €2.2bn National Children’s Hospital in Dublin, following continued delays in bringing the project to full contract standard.

According to a spokeswoman for the NPHDB, the independent Employer's Representative administering the contract has requested a revised programme of works from main contractor BAM. The updated programme must include a timeline for remediating certification issues and provide certainty regarding a revised substantial completion date. Asked to confirm whether any official completion date is established, the board spokeswoman confirmed that none is currently in place.

The board reported that while BAM has rectified approximately 199,700 defects since construction began, around 2,000 defects remain open as ongoing site inspections take place. To date, 4,983 out of 5,728 rooms have met the required contract standard. Outstanding compliance issues include design solutions for prefabricated bathroom pods, which are being developed by BAM for review by the project’s design team.

The disclosure coincides with an executive leadership transition at BAM Ireland. The firm’s executive director in Ireland, Alasdair Henderson, is set to step down within months to take on a new role within the parent group. John Wilkinson, Chief Operating Officer for UK & Ireland at BAM, will lead the Irish business on an interim basis while a permanent replacement is sought. The NPHDB stated it trusts the local leadership transition will not impact progress toward project completion.

A spokesman for BAM described the hospital build as being in the final stages of commissioning and certification. Separately, a conciliator recently rejected a compensation claim of nearly €100m submitted by BAM regarding disputed project costs, though neither BAM nor the NPHDB has commented publicly on the financial determination.