Tender documents for Cork's long-awaited events centre to be issued early next year

Cork City Council has called for expressions of interest from developers in the Cork Event Centre, with tender documents now expected to be issued early next year.

In a briefing on Thursday night, councillors were told that Cork City Council intends to issue a public information notice — a notice issued by contracting authorities, typically in the public sector, to signal future procurement opportunities and to encourage early market engagement.

The briefing was delivered by Cork City Council assistant chief executive Brian Geaney, who is chairperson of the project development board, established earlier this year following a Cabinet decision in October 2024 that a new procurement process was required to deliver the events centre.

The board has been meeting monthly since January, and the issuing of a public information notice “is now effectively a call for expressions of interest for engagement with potential developers and operators”, a council spokesperson said.

“It is a key milestone in what will be a multi-stage process, with tender documents expected to issue early in the new year, followed by a process to select a preferred bidder.

“In preparing for the procurement of the proposed Cork Event Centre, Cork City Council is interested in engaging with suitably qualified and experienced developers, as well as operators and promoters within the live entertainment and events industry in relation to the council’s intended procurement plans and project requirements.

“Interested developers, operators, and promoters will be invited to express interest [online] via the eTenders platform, with the intent that one-to-one bilateral discussions would follow.

“The insights gained through this consultation process will be used solely to inform the council’s procurement strategy and to assist in defining the project’s requirements.”

Labour’s Peter Horgan told The Echo that the public notice was a welcome step: “I welcome this new impetus of dealing with the events centre in a proactive and transparent fashion to elected members of the council.

“There is no secret that it is a project that has been dogged by confidence and delays, but I have faith in assistant chief executive Brian Geaney to turn the corner with it, especially with a new process under way.

“To my mind, the protection of the public monies in this project is paramount, and I will continue to seek that when this centre is built that it has a public representative safeguarding role in the board of the event centre.”

The board, which is being led by Cork City Council, includes representatives from Government departments and agencies, as well as members with relevant expertise from Cork — while the procurement process is being overseen by global project management experts AECOM, which has an office in Cork.