The island of Ireland has a spring in her step. That’s the heartening message coming from our two industry and economic spotlights for the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Northern Ireland (NI).

Across the island, there is a growing realisation that a shift towards consistent, multi-annual investment, supported by greater political stability, is required to foster efficient and sustainable growth. The opportunity exists for more all-island collaboration and investment in integrated, sustainable infrastructure which will serve the unique needs of both markets.

Within this broader context, key infrastructure gaps in water, transport, housing, healthcare, education and energy — necessary for ‘Ireland Inc.’ to achieve sustainable growth and retain its competitiveness on the global stage — must be filled. This requires not only consistent, multi-annual funding but also a cultural change within individual delivery organisations in how projects are planned, prioritised, and executed.

“This is too small a country to have a fragmented approach to the delivery of capital projects,” said Taoiseach Simon Harris. “We need more joined-up thinking in the development of critical infrastructure,” commented Kenny Jacobs, Dublin Airport Authority’s chief executive officer.

As trusted partners to public and private sector organisations across the island, we are seeing that shift start to gather momentum in the rise of programmatic thinking.

A programme is always more than the sum of its parts.

Why are delivery organisations and private companies adopting programmatic principles?

Across the world, many clients, including government agencies, are under pressure to deliver much greater levels of investments than they are used to, but with fewer resources than they had in a pre‑coronavirus world.

At the same time, the world of infrastructure is evolving and becoming far more complex. As well as doing more with less, delivery organisations and private companies must also consider the carbon and biodiversity impacts of the physical assets they build and operate, as well as climate resilience, diversity and inclusion, and social value, in accordance with government or funder requirements.

Where relevant, clients are recognising that combining portfolio projects into a capital programme is an efficient way of managing pipelines and environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements when internal and external resources are perpetually stretched.

Structured versus siloed

By adopting a programmatic mindset, organisations can consolidate multiple projects into a cohesive, long-term programme that aligns with strategic goals, enabling better resource planning and utilisation across the programme. This approach fosters consistency in delivery — even amidst fluctuating funding cycles and human capital constraints — by creating a framework that prioritises and sequences projects based on their impact and readiness.

Benefits are easier to quantify through a programmatic approach. Through programmatic governance, organisations can establish clear objectives (including ESG outcomes), performance metrics, and decision-making processes, ensuring that capital budgets are deployed efficiently and transparently. In other words, when the management of benefits is targeted across a programme there is greater awareness of the expected outcomes.

Additionally, programmatic delivery allows for the early engagement of supply chains and the fostering of long-term relationships, promoting collaboration, innovation, and accountability. In today’s resource-constrained world, this is particularly relevant for supply chain contractors working on large infrastructure projects.

By focusing on the bigger picture, programmatic principles help delivery organisations move away from reactive, project-by-project thinking, allowing them to maintain momentum and achieve sustainable outcomes even in a challenging funding environment, and amidst human capital constraints.

This is in direct contrast to a traditional project-based approach, where each project vies independently for resources, often leading to stop-start cycles that hinder progress and increase costs. This competition can also create a ‘silo’ mentality, where each team focuses on delivering its project without co-ordinating with others that could complement its work.

Digital technologies are a key asset in a programmatic approach. Integrating digital tools at both the delivery and operational stages of programmes has multiple potential benefits: from quickly identifying common threads and potential efficiencies across projects; to creating clear, consistent contracts; to capturing, interpreting and capitalising on data across a programme.

Where relevant, clients are recognising that combining portfolio projects into a capital programme is an efficient way of managing pipelines and ESG requirements when internal and external resources are perpetually stretched.

How individual companies and delivery organisations are applying programmatic principles in both NI and ROI

While programmatic approaches deliver clear time and cost benefits compared to individual projects, approval and funding structures can constrain time and scope for the strategic planning needed to unlock those benefits at the business case stage.

Inconsistent funding cycles create uncertainty, drawn-out approvals, disrupted project timelines, and hinder long-term planning, leading to inefficiencies and wasted resources. Skilled labour and supply chain partners struggle to maintain engagement and capacity due to funding gaps, which prevent the steady flow of work required for sustainable operations. In Northern Ireland, the absence of a functioning executive in recent years has exacerbated this issue, compounding delivery challenges.

At the same time, the Republic of Ireland’s €165 billion National Development Plan and the additional £1.5 billion allocated to Northern Ireland in the latest UK budget present delivery organisations with a paradoxical challenge: how to navigate stop-start funding cycles while managing significant capital budgets.

This challenge requires robust governance, careful prioritisation, project controls, and strategic alignment with long-term objectives.

It forces delivery organisations to balance short-term reactive measures with the need for long-term strategic planning. Without this balance, infrastructure delivery risks becoming fragmented — resulting in delays, cost overruns, and missed opportunities for efficiency.

In all these cases, the solution lies in working out how best to structure and analyse programmes at business case stage, using these insights to shape effective delivery strategies.

Public and private sector organisations across the island of Ireland are increasingly adopting programmatic principles to successfully navigate the challenges of inconsistent funding, resource constraints, and ESG requirements.

For instance, Uisce Éireann delivers a significant portion of its capital investment plan using a programmatic approach, to facilitate efficient and effective delivery considering the volume, complexity, and geographical spread of its asset base. Capital programmes are accepted as a critical delivery mechanism to ensure Uisce Éireann and its delivery partners have a safe, efficient, sustainable, and innovative means of delivering multiple similar or grouped capital interventions and outputs in a coordinated manner. It is anticipated that within the Regulatory Control 4 (RC4) period, key outcomes will be delivered across circa 100 individual programmes amounting to almost half of the capital investment spend on an annual basis. This level of programme spend is projected to be required for multiple investment cycles into the future.

Furthermore, it is recognised by Uisce Éireann that programme certainty is a key requirement for the supply chain, with the successful programmatic approach and associated pipeline visibility allowing Uisce Éireann and its delivery partners to invest heavily in training and development, fleet and machinery upgrades, manufacturing facilities, etc., as well as supporting staff recruitment and retention in specialised water sector roles.

In all these cases, the solution lies in working out how best to structure and analyse programmes at business case stage, using these insights to shape effective delivery strategies.

Finbarr Burns, Head of Infrastructure Delivery at Uisce Éireann, says: “By enabling this delivery mechanism, key challenges have been responded to effectively and in a timely manner; addressing water and wastewater quality issues; enhancing our environment; replacing critical failed or failing assets; delivering new or upgraded assets to facilitate housing, industrial growth, foreign direct investment, and so on. Innovation across the programmes has been a major part of the success in dealing with the legacy asset base issues, but it is also envisaged that this innovation will ensure new challenges across a number of headings are addressed into the future.”

Elsewhere, the Land Development Agency takes a programmatic approach to deliver its social and affordable housing projects more effectively and sustainably. “We drive efficiency and value for money through standard design typologies for apartments and low-rise housing as well as utilising consistent sustainable design principles and employers' requirements,” says Phelim O’Neill, Head of Property.

“Reporting at project and programme level is managed through a structured and standardised suite of controls documents, which cover programme, cost, and development budget. The combined impact of these programmatic tools reduces programme durations, reduces risks, and improves value for money.”

Here at AECOM, as trusted partners, we are supporting clients to apply this methodology more and more across several functions, across sectors and on programmes of varying scale. Here are some examples.

Example #1: Capturing the entire picture at business case stage supports integrated and sustainable infrastructure

The growing population is driving the need for housing and the water, transport, healthcare, and energy infrastructure necessary to support it. This infrastructure must be delivered at scale and at pace with a focus on carbon reduction, climate resilience and biodiversity gain. Combined, they require more efficient and more innovative solutions to achieve, which can be best obtained by taking a broader view.

From a capital investment perspective, unless the business case captures the entire picture, funding may not be allocated correctly — which is where a programmatic approach can be applied.

The Preliminary Business Case for the DART+ Programme (which we developed on behalf of Iarnród Éireann, Department of Transport, and National Transport Authority) was treated as a co-ordinated programme of integrated projects over several years — rather than a series of discrete projects.

This approach not only maximises value and efficiency but also guards against project splitting and supports the development of transport ‘networks’ which improve regional connectivity. It also makes it easier to gain a holistic picture of the socio-environmental benefits the investment will bring. (Read the full case study here.)

Example #2: Promoting better productivity in social infrastructure and healthcare sectors

As highlighted by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, productivity in the Irish construction sector is around 30 per cent below other European countries. While the reasons for this are multi-faceted, the adoption of a programmatic approach is already having positive impact on the speed of delivery, particularly in the social infrastructure and healthcare sectors.

To address the mounting pressure on healthcare services, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is building new surgical hubs across the Republic of Ireland. Schedule has been a key driver of this programme, requiring each of the sites to be delivered in parallel and at pace. A programmatic approach has already had tangible results, with planning permissions secured within 10 months, applications lodged within four months, and the contractor appointed within twelve. (Read the full case study here).

Furthermore, the Department of Education has a remit to add capacity and modernise facilities within the school system as set out in the National Development Plan. Its ADAPT 4 Programme Innovate, which involves managing multiple school projects under a single framework, adopts a programmatic approach to streamline delivery. By coordinating design teams, the programme ensures projects progress efficiently through the stages of architectural planning to tender and construction.

Example #3: Breaking down barriers between teams to embrace diverse skillsets

The application of programmatic thinking is of relevance to the management of water infrastructure. By looking at broader catchment areas, water companies can create solutions that consider underlying drivers rather than responding to isolated incidents.

This is what Northern Ireland Water is doing on its Living With Water Programme (LWWP), a 12-year programme, subject to funding, to upgrade ageing drainage and wastewater infrastructure across the Greater Belfast Area. Because the problems are being investigated on a catchment level, it empowers AECOM, as delivery partner, to develop a package of innovative solutions that draw on a wide range of disciplines and expertise.

To date, that has included data analytics, asset lifecycle management, blue-green infrastructure, and nature-based solutions. A recent example is our work on the £7 million Ravenhill Avenue Flood Alleviation project in South Belfast which successfully removed approximately nine hectares of stormwater (the equivalent of 12 football pitches) from the combined sewer network, alleviating pressure and reducing flood risk.

By looking at broader catchment areas, water companies can create solutions that consider underlying drivers. This is what Northern Ireland Water is doing on its Living With Water Programme.

Example #4: Embedding sustainability

Iarnród Éireann took the innovative step of thinking programmatically about sustainability on its Cork Area Commuter Rail (CACR) programme, the largest investment ever made in Cork’s rail network.

This ensured a high level of consistency and organisational impact that may not have been achieved had sustainability been considered on each of the seven packages individually. Through this work, Iarnród Éireann has transformed its approach to sustainability, making it a core focus for future projects and programmes while ensuring long-term, measurable outcomes. (Read the full case study here.)

Iarnród Éireann took the innovative step of thinking programmatically about sustainability on its Cork Area Commuter Rail programme, the largest investment ever made in Cork’s rail network.

Example #5: Creating consistency and streamlining processes

In the rollout of offices across the globe, we supported LinkedIn to streamline processes and enhance efficiency through bespoke Project Delivery Optimisation (PDO) services. Our PDO team developed a digital roadmap, including template documents, process guidelines, and reporting systems, to accelerate project delivery across LinkedIn’s global workplace portfolio.

By creating this centralised support system, AECOM enabled LinkedIn to maintain project consistency and efficiency, regardless of location. (Read the full case study here.)

People make programmes happen

People are at the heart of programmatic thinking, as its success hinges on fostering a culture of collaboration, adaptability, and shared purpose. Unlike traditional project-based approaches, programmatic delivery requires breaking down silos and aligning diverse teams — across contractors, consultants, and stakeholders — towards common objectives.

This shift demands not only technical expertise but also a culture change where open communication, mutual accountability, and trust are central to every stage of delivery. It’s the people within organisations who champion these principles, ensuring that programmatic approaches are not just processes on paper but active, lived practices.

For programmes of scale and complexity, a collaborative approach can be supported by the adoption of a client-led health, safety, and wellbeing behavioural programme. This brings together the best health and safety practices from supply chain partners and stakeholders.

The alignment of all programme stakeholders to the highest standards of health and safety practice creates a culture of caring, significantly reduces reportable incidents and (through the convening power of a major programme) can raise standards across the industry.

Collaborative working is also critical to programmatic success because it brings together a broad range of perspectives and expertise. By engaging early with stakeholders, supply chains, and delivery teams, organisations can foster innovation, anticipate challenges, and ensure that solutions align with long-term objectives.

Ultimately, programmatic thinking thrives when people are empowered to think beyond individual projects, focus on shared outcomes, and embrace a mindset of continuous learning and improvement.

Conclusion

Programmatic thinking is gathering momentum. In an era where delivery must be smarter, faster, and more sustainable, we believe that programmatic thinking is the path forward for the delivery of the ambitious public and private investment across the island of Ireland.

As one of Ireland’s most established infrastructure consultancies with a legacy of over 150 years, we are ready to continue supporting our clients to embrace this shift throughout 2025 and beyond.