Respond

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Procurement Intelligence

Respond is one of Ireland’s largest construction‑led Approved Housing Bodies (AHB), focused on the development and management of social housing and cost‑rental homes across the State.[1][2] It operates as a not‑for‑profit organisation but functions as a major public sector housing delivery partner to central and local government, with a substantial in‑house development and project management capability.[1][2] Respond currently has nearly 3,000 new homes in development at 21 sites under a €1.2 billion construction programme and expects to have 4,000 homes under construction by the end of 2024, indicating a very large and continuous capital works pipeline.[1] Its core procurement activity is in construction and allied professional services for multi‑unit residential schemes, along with associated infrastructure, design, and technical consultancy frameworks.[1][5]

Strategic Context

Respond’s current strategic priority is rapid delivery of social and cost‑rental homes at scale, with a pipeline of 2,925 homes in development and a target of 4,000 homes under construction by end‑2024 under a €1.2 billion construction programme.[1] To support this, Respond is establishing multi‑disciplinary frameworks to deliver high‑quality housing developments, signalling a shift toward structured, repeat‑use panels for design, project management, and construction services rather than isolated one‑off tenders.[5] Its role as a key AHB delivery partner under national housing policy and capital funding streams implies continued high levels of construction and professional services procurement in the medium term, contingent on Exchequer and Housing Finance Agency funding and broader government housing targets.[1][2]

Typical Suppliers

Main building contractors with experience delivering multi‑phase social and cost‑rental housing schemes on fixed‑price contracts, often acting as design‑and‑build or traditional main contractors for schemes of 50+ units.[1][2]
Multi‑disciplinary design and consultancy practices (architecture, civil/structural engineering, M&E, QS, PSDP) appointed to Respond’s multi‑disciplinary frameworks for housing development projects.[5]
Regional developers or landowners able to deliver or sell turnkey social housing schemes and serviced residential land banks suitable for social housing developments.[2][8]
Construction‑focused professional quantity surveying and cost management firms supporting Respond’s large construction programme and framework procurements.[5]

Supplier Tips

Monitor eTenders and Respond’s own procurement notices for multi‑disciplinary framework and construction tenders; these panels are central to their delivery strategy and are likely to be the main route to winning repeat work across multiple housing schemes.[5]
Emphasise proven delivery of social or cost‑rental housing at scale, robust cost control on fixed‑price contracts, and familiarity with AHB and public‑funded housing requirements (compliance, building regulations, BCAR, and social value obligations) in bids, as Respond is operating a €1.2 billion, multi‑site construction programme.[1][2]
For smaller or specialist firms, consider partnering or forming consortia with larger contractors or multi‑disciplinary practices to access Respond frameworks, as these competitions typically favour teams that can cover full project lifecycles from planning and design through to handover of occupied social housing schemes.[5]

Updated 21 June 2026