Cork Events Centre: Council Takes Next Step in Finding a Builder

Cork City Council is moving a step closer to delivering the long-awaited Cork Events Centre, after Tuesday's Cabinet decision gave the green light for the next stage of the process.

The council will now start looking for companies capable of building, part-funding and running the venue. It is the first of two stages before an actual contract is signed, and is really just a way of drawing up a shortlist of suitable candidates.

Documents being published at this stage give a broad indication of how much the build itself is likely to cost: somewhere between €150m and €200m.

Because of the size and complexity of the project, the council is not expecting single companies to apply on their own. Instead, it expects groups of companies to team up, combining large-scale construction experience with the know-how needed to run a busy events venue.

The process will be open to applicants from right across the European Union, in line with EU rules that require public contracts of this size to be advertised fairly and openly.

A specific location for the venue, along with the detailed technical and operational requirements, will be firmed up as the process moves forward, and will form part of the next stage.

The council says the exact value of the contract, and any financial contribution towards the development, will only be finalised once a successful bidder has been chosen. Those details will be worked through during the dialogue stage with shortlisted applicants.

How we got here

Cabinet decided in October 2024 that a fresh procurement process was needed to get the events centre built, while reaffirming that Government funding support would remain in place.

A Project Development Board was set up to steer the project, chaired by Cork City Council Assistant Chief Executive Brian Geaney. It includes representatives from Government departments, State agencies and local stakeholders in Cork, and has been meeting every month since January 2025.

Last September, the council put out a call inviting potential developers and operators to express interest and take part in confidential one-to-one discussions. Just before Christmas, a preliminary business case for the project was submitted to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

This latest step paves the way for full tender documents to be issued later this year, followed by the selection of a preferred bidder.

Who is overseeing it

The procurement is being managed by AECOM, a global project management firm with an office in Cork. The company has helped build or renovate event and conference centres in US cities including Kentucky, Phoenix, New Orleans and Las Vegas, with a combined value of almost €16bn, and has also worked on an event centre in Cardiff.

AECOM is advising on costs, procurement, the business case, risk and stakeholder engagement, and will stay involved through planning, development and delivery.