Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 195: To ask the Taoiseach the number of Government awarded contracts from 1995 until 2004, inclusive, that over-ran financially as a result of jobs being incorrectly specified; if the people responsible for the incorrect specifications were held to account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33741/05]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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No contracts awarded by my Department between 1995 and 2004 over-ran financially as a result of jobs being incorrectly specified.

The practice in my Department is to engage consultants at agreed fixed fees, resulting in fixed price contracts. It sometimes happens, however, that the need arises to perform additional pieces of work, which could not have been anticipated at the outset and which are required for the proper completion of the assignment. This is the reason for any instances where the final cost exceeded the original estimated cost of consultancy projects in my Department. It is my Department's policy to agree to additional work in such cases only where the additional cost is reasonable and there is a clear justification for same.