Building contractors increased turnover by €1.37bn last year despite Covid impact

The CIF Top 50 Contractors exported more than €4.25bn in construction expertise in 2020

Construction of the National Children's Hospital. File Picture

Ireland's building contractors saw turnover increase by €1.37bn last year despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy.

The Construction Industry Federation published its annual Top 50 Contractors List which showed the firms secured a combined turnover of €11.37bn for 2020, a significant increase on the previous year’s total turnover figure of €10bn. A total of €7.12bn in construction activity was recorded in Ireland, up from €6.7bn the previous year.

Despite the lockdown restrictions in place last year, many of the contractors worked on projects that were deemed essential and did not shut down and accelerated the level of work once restrictions were lifted.

In 2020, the CIF Top 50 Contractors exported more than €4.25bn in construction expertise, €950m more than the corresponding figure for the previous year of €3.3bn.

John Sisk & Sons topped the CIF Contractors List recording €1.5bn in turnover last year, more than €700m of that was carried out in Ireland with just under €800m internationally. The company which began building in Munster more than 160 years ago has been responsible for some of the country's major infrastructure and building projects across a range of sectors including Croke Park and Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadiums, the LUAS Cross City project, motorways, data centres, hospitals and a wide range of office buildings.

Dublin-headquarters Mercury was second on the list with a turnover of €1.04bn, of which €665m was carried out internationally. The firm builds and manages complex engineering projects employing more than 6,500 people in over 15 countries. Their work includes engineering services for the National Children's Hospital, the Aviva stadium and electrical works for the Air Traffic Control Tower at Dublin Airport.

Jones Engineering was third on the list with €750m in turnover equally split between Ireland and internationally. The company provides mechanical and electrical services completing a range of projects in the data centre, life sciences, industrial and power sectors. They completed the Kelwin 2 battery storage project for Statkraft in Co Kerry and work with the HSE on most of the major hospitals in the country.

PJ Hegarty & Sons are in fourth place with €564m in turnover followed by Winthrop Engineering with €560m in turnover.

The CIF Director General Tom Parlon said many of the association's top 50 contractors are competing across Europe and the UK for big projects and winning them. "They have earned their place in that space by being smart, quick and ambitious. Our industry is working and succeeding in world-class arenas and markets," he said.

"There are ambitious plans by government to address Ireland's housing crisis, infrastructure deficits and carbon emissions as part of a climate action plan. The construction industry and the CIF are poised, ready and willing to help deliver this."