Embracing International Cost Management Standards (ICMS): The Key to Efficient Infrastructure Delivery
Build Digital and the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) recently joined forces to host an event to highlight the importance of embracing ICMS in driving the sustainable delivery of infrastructure in Ireland.
Over 150 professionals from the Irish construction and built environment industries gathered to hear key policymakers and thought leaders from Government, industry, and academia share their insights on the impact of ICMS on built environment project delivery and the development of ICMS principles within the Building Information Modelling (BIM) mandate. The event, which took place on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, on TU Dublin’s Grangegorman campus, highlighted the role of ICMS in cost and carbon reporting, enabling the sustainable and efficient delivery of Ireland’s built environment infrastructure across the asset lifecycle.
The Irish BIM Mandate
Build Digital announced the publication of two supports to assist organisations in adopting ICMS and adhering to the BIM mandate. The ICMS User Guide and the Sustainability Policy Inventory are both available on the Build Digital Exchange.
ICMS Insights
TU Dublin President Dr Deirdre Lillis opened the event by welcoming attendees and encouraging everyone to consider the sustainability, competitiveness, and societal benefits of embracing cost management standards like ICMS. Dr Clare Eriksson, the Build Digital Director, and Tomás Kelly, the SCSI 2nd Vice President, spoke about the context from which ICMS was developed and the challenges that ICMS solves.
The focus of the event was centred around three core questions:
- Why and how was ICMS developed?
- What impact will ICMS adoption have on my work?
- How do I successfully implement ICMS on a project?
Each question was addressed by expert speakers, panel discussions, and included audience interaction.
Why and how was ICMS developed?
Kevin Meaney, National Investment Office, Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery & Reform (DPENDR), led a session on the origins of ICMS and the reasons for its development. The line-up of speakers included representatives from the European Council of Construction Economists, the Infrastructure Division of DPENDR, and Mulcahy McDonagh and Partners. Attendants enjoyed hearing from speakers who could account for the development of ICMS from inception to application in policy by the Irish Government.
What impact will ICMS adoption have on my work?
Patrick King, Director of Membership and Public Affairs at SCSI, hosted a session with representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Turner & Townsend, and Andrew P Nugent & Associates. Panellists discussed the impact that ICMS has on projects, including the use of a unified approach for cost reporting and standardised, transparent carbon emission tracking. Speakers highlighted the importance of taking advantage of guidance documents and support materials such as those issued by Build Digital, SCSI, and the Office of Government Procurement.
How do I successfully implement ICMS on a project?
This session was chaired by Damien Owens, Director General at Engineers Ireland, and included representatives from Grangegorman Development Agency, MMC Quantity Surveyors, and Kosmos. Panellists discussed various aspects of successfully implementing ICMS on projects, including learning from thought leaders in this area and combating roadblocks. A key takeaway from this discussion was the importance of developing a deep knowledge base in ICMS, BIM, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and Life Cycle Costing (LCC). Practical tools such as One Click LCA and Carbon Designer, BCIM, RICS WLCA 2nd Edition were highlighted by speakers.
Conor Shaw, UCD Postdoctoral Researcher and Build Digital Innovator, presented the ICMS supports and tools available on the Build Digital Exchange, and discussed the value that these supports bring to projects. Final remarks by P.J. Rudden, Chair of the CSG Construction Innovation and Digital Adoption Subgroup, highlighted the importance of efficient cost and carbon reporting in delivering Ireland’s built environment infrastructure effectively.
Visit the Build Digital website to find videos, images and presentations from the event.
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Build Digital has recently announced that the Annual Build Digital Conference 2025, in partnership with Construction Cluster Ireland, will be held on Thursday, 09 October, in the Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, Galway. Register your interest in the event here.