The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has published its manifesto, Delivery, not Delay, for the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election, calling for a decisive shift in delivery from the next Executive to confront mounting infrastructure, housing and fiscal challenges. The document was released on 2 June 2026.

The launch took place at the first CEF Annual Conference at Riddel Hall, Belfast, hosted by Sarah Travers in partnership with Headline Sponsor KPMG. More than 200 delegates were expected to hear sessions on skills, carbon reduction and AI.

A cross-party panel featuring Chris Hazzard MP, Peter Martin MLA, Peter McReynolds MLA, John Stewart MLA and Matthew O'Toole MLA was due to discuss the CEF’s eight key asks of the incoming Executive.

The eight priorities are:

- Agree a draft Programme for Government by the end of May 2027 before ministerial portfolios are allocated, and explore institutional reforms to improve the functioning of devolved government.

- Create a streamlined, supported route for SMEs to recruit apprentices and new entrants, cutting administrative burden and risk and deploying targeted incentives where appropriate; also simplify the skills and qualifications landscape and reduce fragmentation across providers to make pathways into construction clearer for learners, educators and employers.

- Make a legally binding commitment to fund NI Water’s PC28 at the level set by the Utility Regulator from the outset, and introduce an Infrastructure Levy to unlock development and address environmental decline.

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- Seek a regional deal with the UK Government for an Infrastructure Transformation fund to underpin confidence in NI Water’s capital programme and maintain wider investment confidence in Northern Ireland.

- With NI Water's price controls fully funded, set a minimum target of 10,000 new homes a year for the next 15 years to meet housing need.

- Agree a multi-year capital budget to 2030 to give public clients fiscal certainty, while exploring ways to expand the funding envelope through enhanced borrowing, governance changes and options such as road tolling.

- Finalise and publish an Investment Strategy to 2050 to advance projects including the A5, A1 Junctions, York Street Interchange, Casement Park, Belfast Rapid Transit Phase 2, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review and the Roads Maintenance Strategy, alongside establishing an independent Infrastructure Commission.

- Bring forward and pass an ambitious Planning and Infrastructure Bill to fix the planning system.

Commenting, Mark Spence, Chief Executive of the CEF, said: "As we move towards next May's election, and the 30th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 2028, our sector reflects on a challenging decade which has seen not just a number of crises and economic shocks, but also a self-inflicted sustained period of stop/start devolved government.

"This manifesto is set against that backdrop – the need for political stability, the critical importance of dealing with decades-old infrastructure and housing blockages, sensibly addressing our financial challenges, building a Northern Ireland that deals with the climate and environmental issues that face us, and ensuring that we have the skills and workforce that will underpin our success.

"The structural obstacles strangling Northern Ireland’s infrastructure delivery are well-known to all in our society. They are not new. Indeed, it was sobering in preparing our manifesto to see how many of these issues remain largely unaddressed since the platform we published before the 2016 Assembly election.

"The obstacles are the result of collective political failure and decades of short-term decision-making. We have watched potential growth wither under chronic wastewater infrastructure underfunding, a broken planning system, and a lack of fiscal certainty. Our industry has shown resilience, but resilience is not a substitute for governance. We need political stability, and we need ambition.

"Politicians often talk about ambition for Northern Ireland. But in truth, ambition without infrastructure is an illusion.

"Failure to act on our eight key asks will not simply delay progress; it will exacerbate already inflated costs of living and doing business in Northern Ireland, it will block much needed housing, deter international investment, and cause Northern Ireland to fall irretrievably behind competing regions.

"We expect delivery, not delay."