Taoiseach all talk and no action on public tenders – Cowen

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, Barry Cowen, has said the Taoiseach’s ‘all talk and no action’ approach has led to the HSE awarding a €14 million contract to Western Building Systems despite the Department of Education pursuing legal action against the construction company.

Deputy Cowen said it was abundantly clear that there is a lack of communication between Departments as this farcical situation was allowed to develop, despite the Taoiseach promising an overhaul of how tenders are awarded following the National Children’s Hospital controversary.

Deputy Cowen said, “During Leaders Questions in February of this year, in responding to questions around the NCH overrun the Taoiseach said, ‘ There are one or two contractors who, quite frankly, I would not like to see get a public contract again in this State’ .

“He went on to say that the Government would examine the problem of low-balling and low-price tenders and said that ‘we also particularly want to look at contractors’ past form and public service references. However, EU procurement law does not allow us to ban people from tendering. Perhaps we can work into the scoring system a public service reference or a past form clause looking at previous projects’.

“The Taoiseach himself is on record as having said there needs to be a change in the tendering process and that contractors past performance needs to be taken into account, but as usual we know that his promises only last as long as the news cycle.

“I’d like to know whether Western Building Systems is one of the contractors he’d not like to see get a public contract given that last year serious structural flaws were found in over 20 schools. This caused huge headaches for parents as children were returning to school.

“Yet in May this year the HSE signed a contract awarding a €14 million contract to Western Building Systems to build a new ward at University Hospital Limerick without reference to their past form. Are the Government happy to reward bad behaviour or do the Departments just not speak to one another?

“The Taoiseach’s empty promises on the tendering process have ensured that these farcical situations will be allowed to happen time and time again under the Fine Gael Government”, concluded Deputy Cowen.