Ireland’s Top-50 main and specialist services contractors achieved a combined turnover of €10.54bn in 2020 up from €9.74bn in 2019. An increase in extraordinary times of 8.26%, that’s according to the annual industry league table that appears in the latest edition of Irish building magazine.

John Sisk & Son retained top position with turnover of over €1.5bn, up from €1.39bn in 2019. Overall, in 2020 Ireland’s largest contractor’s turnover increased by 6.2% to just over €1.5bn, the company recorded a before-tax profit of €23.3m, and maintained high levels of cash with zero bank borrowings.

COVID-19 presented a rapidly changing dynamic and the construction industry was a vanguard for implementing new and safe work practices. A collective coming together meant Covid cases in construction were among the lowest for any industry sector in Ireland. The low number of cases during the pandemic can be credited to immediate action on behalf of contractors and the implementation of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), a document created by the Construction Industry Federation Safety and Health Subcommittee which serves as a guide for the management of COVID-19 on a construction site for the duration of the pandemic.

Colin Walsh, Media Director, Irish building magazine said: “The construction industry in Ireland has proven once again that even in the most difficult of times that it delivers for our country and our economy. An increase in turnover of 8.26% in 2020 shows the trajectory the industry was on.

“The industry is now playing catch up to client and societal demand for vital projects, housing and infrastructure delivery. In housing alone over 200,000 units will need to be built in Ireland over the next three years, according to a new report from Davy. This figure was 106,000 in 2020. A clear indicator of the shortfall caused during lockdown and pent up demand.”

Growth abroad

The Top-50 shows that Irish contractors are gaining momentum abroad with a non-Irish turnover of over €4.1bn in 2020 up by almost 25% in 2019.

In an effort to mitigate Brexit’s impact on UK activity many Irish contractors have looked to mainland Europe, the UAE and the US to develop and grow markets.

The increase in foreign turnover was also facilitated by the continuation of construction activity in most European countries as Ireland was one of only a handful that placed restrictions on the industry during Covid.

Looking forward

Linesight Director, Stephen Ashe said: “Truly, the last year-and-a-half has been the shot in the arm the industry needed to embrace transformation. The construction industry is not just recovering, but re-imagining, embracing modern methods of construction and digitalisation.

“The road ahead is not necessarily smooth, as we face huge challenges in terms of sustainability, materials scarcity, price increases, and skills gaps. It is essential that we take advantage of every efficiency and cost saving that technology can offer us, in order to boost our resilience in the face of challenges, and to create more interesting roles within a safer industry to attract new talent.”

Since 2015 the Top-50 annual listing showcases the best in Irish Construction and highlights the critical importance of the construction sector to the Irish economy and exchequer.

Following the lifting of restrictions Construction Industry activity ramped up at its sharpest pace since February 2016 and the second-fastest on record. The Ulster Bank Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) – a seasonally adjusted index designed to track changes in total construction activity – posted 66.4 in May, up sharply from 49.3 in April and above the 50.0 no-change mark for the first time since the imposition of the lockdown at the start of the year. Index readings above 50 signal an increase in activity on the previous month and readings below 50 signal a decrease.

Construction can provide real opportunities for school leavers and graduates. The construction industry is now far removed from its traditional image and offers great opportunities to young people. Construction jobs span the gamut from onsite work, construction project management, engineering, design, engineering, digital construction technology operation.

For more details on the Top-50 main and specialist services contractors, you can read the entire edition now online. Irish building magazine has published the Top-50 listing of main and specialist services contractors since 2015. 

Top-50

Main and Specialist Services Contractors

Position	Main Contractor	2020 €’m (Est global)
1	John Sisk & Son Limited	1,503.00
2	PJ Hegarty & Sons U.C.	564.00
3	BAM Contractors Limited	520.00
4	Collen Construction Limited	450.00
5	John Paul Construction Limited	447.80
6	Bennett Construction Limited	367.00
7	JJ Rhatigan & Company UC	288.00
8	Walls Construction Limited	273.50
9	Roadbridge	264.00
10	Mac Group	150.00
11	Murphy Ireland	138.00
12	Ardmac Limited	129.10
13	Structure Tone Limited (Irish activity)*	125.00
14	Wills Bros Limited	115.00
15	Stewart Construction	109.00
16	Flynn Management & Contractors Limited	107.00
17	Duggan Brothers (Contractors) Limited	106.80
18	Townmore Construction	85.00
19	Conack Construction Ltd	76.40
20	Clancy Construction Limited	70.67
21	Monami Construction Ltd	61.60
22	Vision Contracting Limited	61.49
23	Gem Group	59.83
24	MMD Construction Cork Limited	49.42
25	Ganson Building & Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd	48.00
26	Elliott Group	45.00
27	Purcell Construction Limited	43.00
28	Kilcawley Building and Civil Engineering (Sligo) Ltd	41.00
29	David Flynn Limited	35.84
30	Townlink Construction Limited	35.00
Position	Specialist Services Contractor	2020 €’m (Est global)
1	Mercury Engineering Group	1,040.00
2	Jones Engineering Group	715.00
3	Winthrop Engineering and Contracting Limited	585.81
4	Dornan Engineering Limited	488.00
5	Kirby Group Engineering Limited	292.74
6	Designer Group Engineering Contractors Limited	203.00
7	Suir Engineering Limited	189.00
8	Specialist Technical Engineering Services (STS Group)	182.00
9	King & Moffatt Building Services	109.93
10	Leo Lynch	50.00
11	Gaeltec	47.68
12	Lynskey Engineering Limited	45.00
13	DMG Engineering Limited	44.00
14	LMC Group Ltd	42.67
15	Weltec Engineering	37.15
16	CJK Electrical Limited	29.05
17	Riverside Mechanical	21.07
18	Rockwell Engineering	19.50
19	Tritech Engineering	19.00
20	T Bourke & Co. Limited	11.80