Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 13 June 2019

Public Accounts Committee

Business of Committee

9:00 am

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I want to pick up on the 95% cost certainty. The difference is a sizeable amount of money. I remember some discussion about there being a gigantic underestimate with regard to cabling. That would not account for the amount of money involved here.

This will tell us something about the flaws in the tendering process. It would be useful to explore this because that is where there is a degree of learning to be had. We have to interrogate that particular aspect and we must do so forensically.

On the pattern of tendering, let us take the example of a company that goes in low and adds extras. That appears to be a criticism of the contractor in this instance but it also applies in respect of other contracts for which that contractor tendered. Is the European tendering process interpreted the same way in every member state? Would that be the case for a Dutch company tendering in Holland?