7th August 2026
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment with special responsibility for Employment, Small Business and Retail, Alan Dillon TD, has re-appointed Mr. Bernard Gogarty as Chairperson of the Construction Contracts Adjudication Panel under the Construction Contracts Act 2013. Mr. Gogarty is a solicitor with extensive experience in dispute resolution and has served as Chairperson of the Construction Contracts Adjudication Panel since July 2021. His re-appointment, which takes effect on 10 August 2026, follows an open competition conducted by the Public Appointments Service.
Minister Dillon said:
"I am delighted that Bernard Gogarty has agreed to serve a second term as Chairperson of the Construction Contracts Adjudication Panel following the recent Public Appointments Service competition. Bernard brings the expertise, experience and leadership required to continue leading the Panel over the next five years. Since 2022, he has appointed adjudicators to 342 payment disputes with a combined value of €178 million, making an important contribution to the effective operation of the statutory adjudication process for the construction sector."
Accepting his re-appointment, Mr. Gogarty said:
"I would like to thank Minister Dillon for appointing me to a second term as Chairperson of the Construction Contracts Adjudication Panel. I look forward to continuing to work with the recently appointed Ministerially appointed Panel of Adjudicators to support the efficient resolution of payment disputes for the benefit of all stakeholders across the construction sector."
Notes for editors
Biography of Bernard Gogarty
Bernard Gogarty is a graduate of University College Dublin. He qualified as a solicitor in Ireland in 1979 and in Northern Ireland in 1992. He became a partner with Smyth & Son Solicitors in 1984 and is currently a consultant with the firm. He has extensive experience advising on construction and engineering projects in both contentious and non-contentious matters. His professional experience includes acting as an advisor, advocate, conciliator, arbitrator and adjudicator in domestic and international disputes. He is a former Chairman of the Irish Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has served as a consultant to the Law Society's Arbitration and Mediation Committee. He has been a member of the Commission on Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris for many years and has lectured for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Law Society, and Trinity College Dublin's Diploma in Construction Law and Contract Administration. Over the course of his career, he has served on a number of dispute resolution panels, including those of the Law Society, Engineers Ireland and the Construction Industry Federation.
Construction Contracts Act 2013
The Construction Contracts Act 2013 provides, subject to limited exceptions, for minimum contractual provisions governing payment arrangements between parties to a construction contract. Where a payment dispute arises, either party may refer the dispute to adjudication. The adjudication process is conducted within statutory timeframes to facilitate the prompt resolution of payment disputes. Where the parties cannot agree on the appointment of an adjudicator, the Chairperson of the Construction Contracts Adjudication Panel appoints an adjudicator from the Ministerially appointed Panel of Adjudicators following an application from one of the parties.
ENDS
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