It's hoped the first of 1000 rapid-build apartments in Dublin will start coming on stream at the end of next year.
That's despite the pilot projects earmarked for Coolock and Fishamble Street failing to get off the ground, two years after they were announced.
Builders have one month left to bid for the contract to install the propoed factory-built units.
Dublin City Council's head of housing, Brendan Kenny, says it's the only type of social housing that will be built from now on.
"Rather than building houses going forward which is no longer sustainable, it'll be all apartments. These will be permanent structures. Sometimes there's a notion we're talking about prefab or 'stackable' structure - we're not. We're talking about permanent housing, we're talking about apartments that will last for 100 years or more."
There's just one month left for companies to bid for the business of assembling the prefab-style homes.
Brendan Kenny says it means a team will be in place by the end of the year to get going on the thousand homes.
There a number of state-owned sites on the northside and southside earmarked for the developments, but these details haven't been finalised yet.
