TECHConnect Awards 2026
The TECHConnect Awards celebrate the people, teams and projects helping local government deliver better digital and ICT services. From innovative solutions and major transformation programmes to the work that happens behind the scenes every day, the awards recognise the contributions that improve services, support colleagues and deliver value across the sector.
The shortlisted nominations showcase a wide range of achievements across innovation, cyber security, data, operational delivery, leadership, collaboration and service improvement. They highlight practical examples of what is working across local government and provide opportunities to share ideas, learn from each other and recognise excellence.
We encourage you to explore the shortlisted submissions, connect with nominees and discover the people and projects helping to shape the future of digital local government.
Rising Star of the Year
Tope Lawal | Fingal County Council
Tope Lawal was nominated for her central role in designing and delivering PRISM, a Microsoft Dataverse and Power Platform solution that replaced Fingal’s legacy procurement system. She translated complex business requirements into a practical digital solution, delivered the technical components, led testing and managed the rollout. PRISM provides a single source of procurement information, guides staff through complex processes, supports reporting on risks and delays, and uses AI to identify existing contracts, frameworks and previous procurement exercises that may be suitable for reuse. Since joining Fingal as a graduate, Tope has rapidly developed into a key contributor to complex digital transformation work.
Sopiko Abulidze | Apprentice Software Developer | Meath County Council
Sopiko was nominated for the contribution she has made to several digital initiatives since joining Meath County Council as an Apprentice Software Developer. She developed a portal for monitoring the 122 actions in the Council’s Digital and ICT Strategy, supported the rollout of the County Development Plan website and independently developed a digital complaints form that automates acknowledgements, document generation and distribution. Contact: Simon McCabe, simon.mccabe@meathcoco.ie.
Sean Carey | Graduate Data Analyst | Dublin City Council
Sean was nominated for independently developing a citywide analysis showing where high social need and below-average public transport connectivity overlap. He combined demographic, deprivation and timetable data across 2,261 Census Small Areas, using actual peak-hour service frequency to measure connectivity. The resulting maps give planning, transport and social inclusion teams a clearer evidence base for identifying priority and at-risk areas. Contact: Richard Herlihy, richard.herlihy@dublincity.ie.
HR eTimesheets | Meath County Council
HR eTimesheets replaced the paper-based timesheet process for approximately 160 outdoor staff with a secure online application developed through the MyCoCo platform. It automates data capture and approvals, integrates with payroll and financial systems, and provides real-time oversight of workgroups, overtime and allowances. The number of staff involved in wage processing has reduced by more than 60%. Contact: Simon McCabe, simon.mccabe@meathcoco.ie.
GeoCollect | Kildare County Council
GeoCollect combines rates, valuation, planning, address and mapping data to identify commercial properties that may not be included in the rates system. Its initial use increased the number of properties in Kildare’s ratebook by approximately 14%, adding around 700 properties and an estimated €1.8 million in annual income. Kildare has shared the approach with more than 260 staff from 26 local authorities. Contact: Michelle Devine, innovation@kildarecoco.ie.
Online Payslips | Meath County Council
Meath County Council worked with the LGMA, MyPay and sector partners to test and introduce a secure online portal for outdoor staff, pensioners and elected members who previously received paper payslips. The approach has since been scaled across the sector, with 24,098 people receiving payslips online and estimated printing and postage savings of €1,127,880 to date. Contact: Simon McCabe,
Innovation Award
dlrCLARA | Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
dlrCLARA is an AI-powered research assistant developed to help staff assess and route council Motions and Questions. It searches a curated collection of agendas, minutes, reports and previous responses, giving staff rapid access to relevant historical information. Its recommendations remain advisory, supporting rather than replacing established governance arrangements and professional judgement. Contact: Theresa Cloonan, tcloonan@dlrcoco.ie.
Full Circle Furnishings | Kildare County Council
Full Circle Furnishings gives reusable furniture and household items left in vacant social housing properties a new purpose. Instead of being disposed of, suitable items are redistributed to tenants, families, charities and community organisations. In its first year, the initiative redistributed 5,409 items, reduced house clearance and skip costs, and avoided more than 10,000 kg of carbon emissions. Contact: Michelle Devine, innovation@kildarecoco.ie.
AIMS | Fingal County Council
The Asset Inspection Management System, or AIMS, replaces separate paper, spreadsheet and service-specific inspection processes with one reusable digital platform. It provides configurable forms and inspection schedules, standardises data capture and connects issues identified during inspections with external maintenance contractors. The platform can be expanded across different services and adapted by other local authorities. Contact: Paul Barker, paul.barker@fingal.ie.
Behind the Scenes Contribution of the Year
Richard Molloy | Leitrim County Council
Richard was nominated for the breadth of his contribution to Leitrim County Council’s digital transformation and cyber security work. His role extends across security controls, networking, infrastructure, vendor management, business systems and technical support. His broad technical knowledge and willingness to take ownership have helped a small ICT team deliver major improvements while maintaining secure and reliable day-to-day services.
Yvonne Daly | Limerick City and County Council
Yvonne was nominated for her contribution to the successful delivery and adoption of major digital transformation initiatives, including ORCA, CoPlan and the migration of legacy online forms. She brings together business users, ICT teams and suppliers to resolve issues, maintain momentum and ensure that new systems are successfully embedded across the organisation.
Orla Talbot | Kildare County Council
Orla was nominated for her role in progressing Kildare County Council’s housing ICT and improvement programme, supporting 47 projects across digital services, process improvement and national initiatives. She connects stakeholders, removes barriers and helps projects move from planning to delivery. Her work on the social housing application process contributed to a 34% reduction in CRM queries, annual savings of more than €12,000 and 719 staff hours saved.
Tim O’Driscoll | Tipperary County Council
Tim was nominated for his contribution to a range of innovative digital solutions, including the Local Gov Drupal Platform, the Vacant Business Re-Open Grant Platform and the Time/Cost Calculator. His work in AI, automation and digital development has enabled a small team to deliver new services more quickly and at lower cost, while creating solutions that can be shared and built upon by others.
Applications Management Team | Cork County Council
Cork County Council’s Applications Management Team led the complex migration from the legacy Odyssey planning system to APAS. The work included transferring 192,000 applications and more than 2.3 million documents, converting 550,000 legacy files to PDF and maintaining business continuity throughout. The programme established APAS as the Council’s single planning administration platform, with more than 60% of planning applications now submitted online.
Operational Delivery Award
eRecruitment | Clare County Council
Clare County Council’s eRecruitment platform digitised the full recruitment process, from staffing requests and applications through to interviews, offers and onboarding. It created a fully digital and paperless service, supported by automated workflows, candidate self-service and real-time reporting. Time to hire for a Staff Officer competition fell from 116 to 53 days, while user satisfaction exceeded 95%. Contact: Patricia McNamara, pamcnamara@clarecoco.ie.
PEACE Plus Programme Management | Cavan, Monaghan and Louth County Councils
This digital solution manages participant registration, attendance, feedback and reporting across 28 PEACE Plus projects delivered by more than 20 community organisations. It has processed over 2,000 registrations and 7,000 attendances, replacing largely paper-based processes with secure digital workflows and live reporting. The documented approach has also enabled other councils to recreate and improve the solution on their own technology platforms. Contact: Enda Tiernan, etiernan@cavancoco.ie.
askFAILTE | Laois County Council
askFAILTE is an AI Copilot agent that helps staff find answers to common HR, Procurement and Agresso questions using approved policies, procedures and training materials. It provides a single point of access to trusted guidance, supporting staff self-service and reducing routine queries to internal support teams. Helpdesk calls reduced by 8% during the six months following deployment. Contact: Pat Grassick, pgrassick@laoiscoco.ie.
Leader of the Year
Danny Lynch | Head of Information Systems | Longford County Council
Danny was nominated for leadership that has used technology to improve services within the Council and across the wider community. His work helped outdoor staff move from paper to digital working, creating a safer working environment and identifying more than €260,000 in annual efficiencies. He also secured almost €1 million in external funding to strengthen technology and computer science education in Longford schools.
Rory Hopkins | Head of Information Systems | Kildare County Council
Rory was nominated for strengthening ICT’s role as a strategic partner by putting relationships, communication and practical problem-solving at the centre of technology delivery. He supports staff development, encourages service teams to shape solutions with ICT and has created a clear pathway from an identified problem to delivery. Under his leadership, the department supported more than 70 solutions in 2025.
Bryan Humphreys | Cork County Council
Bryan was nominated for his leadership and strategic direction in the development of Cork County Council’s Microsoft Teams Emergency Operations Centre. The platform supports information sharing, decision tracking and coordination during emergency events using existing Microsoft 365 technology. It has been trialled across several scenarios and offers a scalable, cost-effective model for emergency management and business continuity.
Data Excellence Award
Library Data Dashboard | Kildare County Council
The Library Data Dashboard brings information from Kildare’s library systems into one Power BI reporting framework. Staff and managers can access current insights covering more than 590,000 annual loans, over 500,000 eContent loans, almost 750,000 visits and more than 10,000 events. The dashboard has reduced spreadsheet work, improved data accuracy and supported more evidence-based service planning. Contact: Michelle Devine, innovation@kildarecoco.ie.
Derelict Sites Digital Transformation | Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council replaced fragmented databases, spreadsheets and paper records with an integrated system for managing derelict sites. Thirty years of information was migrated, cleansed and standardised, while mobile inspections, case management, mapping and dashboards now operate through connected digital tools. The solution has improved case management, reporting, transparency and the quality of property data. Contact: Allan Macdonald, allan.mcdonald@dublincity.ie.
Healthy Age Friendly Homes Dashboards and Process Improvement | Meath County Council
This integrated dashboard and mapping solution provides near real-time insight into the Healthy Age Friendly Homes Programme, which supports older people to live safely and independently at home. It brings together information on approximately 25,000 participants, 30,000 visits and 100,000 support actions, helping managers monitor demand, identify service gaps and allocate resources more effectively. Contact: Simon McCabe, simon.mccabe@meathcoco.ie.
Cyber Security Award
Leitrim County Council’s Cyber Security and Resiliency Journey | Leitrim County Council
Leitrim County Council delivered an organisation-wide programme combining cyber awareness, incident response, risk management, real-time threat monitoring and infrastructure modernisation. The programme has strengthened the Council’s ability to detect and respond to incidents, improved staff awareness and provided a more secure and resilient foundation for digital services. Contact: Noel Burke, noel.burke@leitrimcoco.ie.
3Ds Ransomware Campaign | Cork County Council
The 3Ds campaign gives staff a simple response to a potential ransomware incident: don’t turn off the machine, do disconnect from the network and do call the Service Desk. Reinforced through video, posters and workplace stickers, the campaign has created a clear and recognisable message that improves staff confidence and supports a faster, more consistent response to incidents. Contact: Jacqueline Hunt, jacqueline.hunt@corkcoco.ie.
Cyber Security Continuous Improvement Program | Cork County Council
Cork County Council’s programme brings together disaster recovery, air-gapped backups, incident response, supplier risk management, staff awareness and strategic oversight. Regular testing and continuous improvement have strengthened the Council’s preparedness for ransomware, service disruption and other evolving cyber risks, while creating a practical model that can be adapted by other councils. Contact: Jacqueline Hunt, jacqueline.hunt@corkcoco.ie.