IRISH HIGHER EDUCATION PPP

The project will finance investments across Ireland for various Institutes of Technology and Technological University campuses. These investments will be delivered under two bundles using an availability based public–private partnership (PPP) structure.

The aim is address the need to upgrade teaching/learning facilities, including STEM, to contemporary methods in their respective vocational fields. The beneficiaries are aiming to attract students to higher education learning pathways with a strong emphasis on addressing acute skills shortages in specific sectors and, consequently, to drive economic development in the Irish regions they serve. The project will be delivered as a PPP divided into two bundles each with reasonably equal geographical coverage across Ireland.

The Council Directive 2011/92/EU as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) does not specifically cover educational activities, leaving it at the discretion of the responsible local authorities to request an EIA on the basis of the location and scale of the works concerned. However, higher education institutions such as the Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities are likely to fall under Annex II of EIA Directive 2014/52/EU with respect to urban development. Social and environmental aspects as well as any issues related to historical and cultural heritage will be verified during the appraisal. The project will include new buildings, which will comply with the 2010/31/EU directive on energy efficiency of buildings.

The promoter has to ensure that contracts for the implementation of the project have been tendered in accordance with the relevant applicable EU procurement legislation, Directive 2014/24/EU, where applicable, as well as Directive 89/665/EEC as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the EU, with publication of tender notices in the EU Official Journal (OJEU), as and where required. A prior information notice was published by the promoter in the OJEU on 27 September 2019, reference 2019/S 189-458583.