New Leinster House bicycle shed cost €335,000 due to 'sensitive location'

Oireachtas Commission seems to have rejected a less conspicuous location for the bike shelter for "security" reasons. In this location near the members restaurant a standard structure was suggested.

The OPW seems to have been against the new location and said it would be more costly, but no costs were given or asked for. The commission suggested the location it was built in. the OPW simply followed the commission's request

Oireachtas Commission is made up of several politicians from several parties and chaired by Sean O'Fearghail (egg on face with his comments). Sinn Fein's Louise O'Reilly and Social Democrats Jennifer Whitmore are also members - and seem to be very quiet on the issue as they had the oversight.
 
Just because they suggested an alternative site doesn’t mean they assumed operational oversight.

Responsibility lies squarely with the OPW.
 
Salvadore said:
Just because they suggested an alternative site doesn’t mean they assumed operational oversight.

Responsibility lies squarely with the OPW.
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They were told it would be more costly. Could they not have requested the cost?

I wanted boxes redesigned recently. I was told it would be more costly as it was not a standard size and a cutting tool would be required. I certainly asked the price and when it was way over what I expected I looked at what standard sizes would work.

The commission requested the new location, they were told it would be more costly, so in my eyes they have the responsibility to ask the very simple question of "how much".
 
peemac said:
The commission requested the new location, they were told it would be more costly, so in my eyes they have the responsibility to ask the very simple question of "how much".
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I don’t agree.

If the new location involves an increase from say a five figure sum to a whopping 335k, it’s the responsibility of OPW to point this out and have it confirmed that the committee wants them to proceed regardless.

Unless they did, the committee members can simply claim ignorance and say that if only they’d been informed of the cost they would never have insisted it be built.
 
And what about the Dept of Finance security shelter costing 1.4 m according to the RTE news website today...
 
There seems to be an inability for state bodies to get realistic estimates for any project. Then when the project is up and running, no-one seems accountable for how much anything costs, or how to control it - if it was their own money they might think differently.
 
If it was their own money, they wouldn't do it at all.. I would think..
 
So there is no scrutiny of the cost of the security hut... and the Herald nails it with this headline

 
OPW is the relatively new name for the old Board of Works.

Post 1923, many ex-National Army officers got safe oul numbers there, including Paddy O'Daly - the O/C of the Dublin Brigade in Kerry during the civil war.

We definitely have an awful problem with cost amplification in construction projects in this country. It goes back centuries too - it's not a new thing that surfaced during the Celtic Tiger era. The Phoenix Park Wall project is a classic example of incompetence, labyrinthine sub-contracting and gross dishonesty.

We could do worse than emulate the Spaniards who got on top of this thing in the 1990s with serious professionalism and tight cost control.
 
trajan said:
OPW is the relatively new name for the old Board of Works.
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The board of works they're still on the go in the army barracks, the board of no works more like. They are usually aul codgers now, more like a men's shed.

The OPW is more modern and more diverse but essentially its the same organisation, like all government and semi state companies that get into big controversy they will give them a brand new name in irish a bit like irish water and the broadcasting regulator getting renamed uisce eireann and commisiean na mean or something
 
trajan said:
We could do worse than emulate the Spaniards who got on top of this thing in the 1990s with serious professionalism and tight cost control.
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Until the job for life ethos is banished from our Public Service and people actually get fired for incompetence or sheer feklessness, things will never change here
 
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