“We believe ourselves to be more than just a construction company, we are construction partners and decent people to work with.”
Who we are
Founded in 1972, Tom O’Brien Construction is an award winning, ISO certified company with a strong reputation for building quality and excellence. We have a proven track record across a diverse range of sectors including Education, Healthcare, Heritage & Conservation, Commercial, Industrial, Residential, Retail, Fitout, Leisure & Sport and Pharma.
We have worked tirelessly to establish a reputation for consistently and successfully delivering complex construction projects to both Public and Private Clients in a safe, ethical and efficient manner.
Our people are the core of our company, and we recognise the value of the experience we have. Our construction professionals bring decades worth of experience to every construction project we undertake to the overall benefit of all stakeholders.
What we do
For over 50 years our company has been successfully delivering outstanding and superior building projects of all types to a variety of clients. Working across all sectors of the construction industry, we provide a multitude of construction services to projects of varying scales and complexities, from healthcare buildings, schools, historic restoration works, retail and residential developments to large office spaces for multinational companies.
Headed by our Directors and supported by a team of construction and engineering professionals, through intelligent, high quality construction solutions, we solve complex problems for our clients.
Our Resources
Tom O’Brien Construction’s dedicated teams work closely with design teams providing a full turn-key service through procurement, construction and commissioning of all elements of a project including fit-out in order to provide a fully functional project to the client’s needs and standards, upon completion. Our experienced management team ensures smooth co-ordination of all aspects of a project including mechanical and electrical services.
Tom O’Brien Construction’s ability to consistently deliver quality and exceed Client expectations, has often led to a mutually beneficial partnership approach on subsequent projects with the same clients.
Programme Control
Budgetary Control
Procurement
Plant & Equipment
Health & Safety Management
Quality Assurance
Civil Engineering
Mechanical & Electrical Coordination
Our History
Tom O’Brien Construction was founded in 1972 by Tom O’Brien Snr. as Tom O’Brien and Son Ltd. Company life began in the O’Brien family home in Old Court, Butlerstown, Co. Waterford.
It was a busy first year for Tom Snr. – he relocated the company, opening new head offices in Bilberry, Co. Waterford soon after.
In the beginning, the firm had a focus on the residential sector. As the company evolved, and by the mid 1970’s, our project work diversified and the company had begun to take on commercial works for Local Authorities and large scale industrial works for the IDA.
In 1980, a major Conservation and Restoration project commenced to the Historic Bishop’s Palace on the Mall in Waterford City, a famous landmark originally built in 1743. This was the largest Public Contract secured by the firm up to that point.
Tom O’Brien Snr. exited the company in 1990. Tom Snr’s son, and current Managing Director Tom O’Brien, was installed as MD in 1990, rebranding the company as Tom O’Brien Construction Ltd.
One of the most notable projects completed under Tom’s early stewardship was the construction of Waterford Airport, opened by former An Taoiseach Albert Reynolds in 1992.
In 1998, work started on the Landmark Bus terminal on the Quays in Waterford City. The successful completion of this high-profile Project for the Department of Transport saw several further Large Public Contracts secured by the firm with other Public Bodies such as the Department of Education and the HSE, boosting Tom O’Brien Construction’s portfolio and expertise.
The end of this decade saw antiquated draughtsman boards disappear from our offices as technology improved and computers took over. Our certified Quality Management System was implemented, further modernising the company.
By 2005, energised by the Celtic Tiger Tom O’Brien Construction’s directly employed workforce had expanded to over 80 people. The company outgrew our old premises and acquired the old Brick Works Factory in Bilberry Waterford, adjacent to our then existing offices.
This site was developed into a new 35,000 sq. ft. premises, consisting of offices and industrial units. Tom O’Brien Construction’s new Head Offices opened in 2006 and reflected the management’s confidence in the future of the business.
2014 saw the successful completion of a flagship project for Tom O’Brien Construction, the stunning Waterford Medieval Museum. This has become a new architectural landmark and major visitor destination in the Southeast of Ireland.
The Museum is located in the oldest part of Waterford City, known as The Viking Triangle. It houses a magnificent collection of artifacts and hosts numerous public events. This building has won 7 National and International awards to date since its completion.
Our past experience in the Public Works sector helped to safeguard the company when Ireland entered recession, with a number of key projects carried out during these years for our long-time Clients in the HSE and Department of Education. Notable projects throughout this period included: Central Remedial Clinic at University Hospital Waterford and a major Outpatients Department Extension at St. Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny.
Tom O’Brien Construction were delighted to be awarded ‘Retail Project of the Year’ for our ‘Grow HQ’ Project at the 2017 Irish Construction Industry Awards, the premier event for benchmarking building excellence within Ireland’s construction Industry.
Notable projects completed include: SETU Arena in Waterford (the largest Conference and Events Centre in the South East) and Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories in Dungarvan, Waterford (a highly technical and complex 3-storey expansion of a Pharma Building).
Tom O’Brien Construction ramped up our construction output significantly in 2020 during the period of Covid-19. TOBC were directly approached in 2020 by many Long-term and Valued clients of ours in the public sphere. Trusted clients such as the HSE and Local Authorities requested that we carry out several fast-track Emergency Works projects across a number of Hospitals and Local Authority sites under the Covid-19 Emergency Works Scheme.
These various projects included refurbishment and extension works to University Hospital Waterford, Wexford General Hospital and Ely Hospital in Wexford, along with the rapid Design & Build of new Covid-19 testing centres across the Southeast of the country.
Our staff ensured these vital Public Infrastructure centres were put in place rapidly. We see this as an affirmation of our long standing relationship with these valued clients and a vote of trust by them in our capabilities to get projects completed safely within a stipulated time and cost basis.
We celebrate 50 successful years in business in 2022. We continue to be a wholly Irish and privately owned company that focuses on providing a high quality service to our clients. Our loyal, experienced team includes two staff members with over 40 years service and five staff members with over 30 years service, who were all originally employed by Tom O’Brien Snr. in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Recent years have also seen the firm expand our Conservation & Heritage Works portfolio, along with our Deep Energy Retrofit abilities for Clients such as the HSE and Department of Education. We remain alive to new opportunities in the Private Sector.
The future and beyond looks bright as our team grows and we continue to expand both our portfolio and our client base with some exciting projects in the pipeline. As always, we remain committed to the Public Works Sector.
Accreditations
