Irish government signs 10-year deal to set up postcode system

The Irish government has officially signed the contract for new partner Capita Ireland to introduce a postcode system for the Republic of Ireland. The ten-year licensing agreement was signed this week to provide for the encoding and roll-out of a national postcode to be launched in the first quarter of 2015.

The new seven-character alphanumeric system will be a “world first” in providing every address in Ireland with a unique code.

Pat Rabbitte, the Irish communications minister, said the introduction of a postcode system was a “key piece” of modern national infrastructure.

“Ours will be the first in the world to be unique to each individual address,” he said. “It will bring significant benefits to the public, business and government. I’m very pleased to announce the signing of the contract with Capita who will develop and operate the next generation postcode system for the State.

“I look forward to the public starting to use postcodes, which we expect to be in the first half of 2015.”

Ireland’s communications minister Pat Rabbitte (right) with Capita COO Vic Gysin at the signing of the contract this week

Vic Gysin, Chief Operating Officer of Capita plc, added: “We recognise that this is an important project that will bring many benefits to the public and business.”

About 35% of households in Ireland do not currently have any unique name or number in their address, which causes huge problems for delivery companies including post and parcel firms.

The new postcode system should allow An Post and other delivery companies to identify the right address for a letter or package, including those in the countryside and in multi-storey buildings.

Existing Dublin postcodes will be retained under the new system.

The Irish government is planning to begin briefings with state officials, private sector utilities and service companies about the postcode system from this month. Further information will be made available to the public on the postcode design later this year.

Work will also get underway on government databases to enable them to handle post codes.

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, said an information campaign will be launched later this year to help SMEs and other businesses prepare for the launch date.

A public information campaign for householders will begin in early 2015.

“Critical period”

John Tuohy, the chief executive of one of Ireland’s largest parcel delivery companies, the Nightline Group, said the next 12 months would be a “critical period” for the introduction of the postcode system.

Tuohy said that for the parcel industry, the postcode system would be “incredibly important” in supporting service efficiency, given the costs involved in making repeated attempts to deliver goods.

“The agreement to finally put a national postcode system in place marks the culmination of a lot of ministerial deliberation and a lot of pressure from households and from commerce, all of whom have realised the part which it has to play in making lives much easier,” he said.

“It is a long overdue and integral element of an economy looking to present itself as progressive, modern and capable. From the point of view of our own industry, the very detailed and individual nature of what is being proposed improves the prospect of making successful first-time deliveries to homes and offices.”

Tuohy, who said his company’s automated parcel locker terminal network, Parcel Motel, has benefited from the lack of a postcode system in Ireland by supporting easy first-time delivery, said Nightline would be making it a priority until 2015 to determine how to best capitalise on the potential for the new postcode system.