Sir, – It is astounding to read comments from our Government suggesting that contractors had submitted low-ball building estimates in the early stages of a tendering process.
This is either an exercise in political spin, which suggests that the political class assumes the electorate to be extremely gullible, or evidence of ignorance and naivety on the Government’s part.
The legitimate process for any scale of proposed structural development entails putting in place a system involving professionals, such as qualified experienced project management teams, and including the appointment of legal and accountancy experts.
All of these professionals are appointed with the clear objectives of agreeing specific pricing and ensuring the precise scope of the project and expressing the clear intent of the parties in contractual format.
The ultimate aim of such procedure is the consolidation by prior formal agreement of the specific terms of the project contract by all the parties concerned as well as ensuring the rigid adherence to scope, works progress and costs, through all stages up to the completion of the project.
The observance of such procedures is now rendered all the more essential given the rampant colossal failures of the banking and construction sectors and their effects on the national economy over the past 12 years or so.
The now seemingly established acceptable concept that the taxpayer will always be there to bail out capital misadventures on the part of gambling industrialists, bankers, developers or insurers appears to have become the norm. – Yours, etc,
FRANK
SLOWEY,
Gorey,
Co Wexford.