Delivery of commitments from children’s hospital contractor parent company ‘entirely insufficient’

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill criticised the national children’s hospital contractor’s parent company for “wholly and entirely insufficient” delivery of commitments. The construction of the new national children’s hospital on the site at St James’s Hospital in Dublin began in 2016 after years of disagreement over its location.The following eight years have been marked by ballooning costs – from €987 million to €2.2 billion, with repeated delays exacerbated by an increasingly fractious relationship between the builders, Bam, and the board overseeing the project, the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. The Minister and Royal Bam MV, the parent company of Bam Ireland, had a meeting in the middle of March, at which point the contractor was said to have committed to meeting its April 30th substantial completion deadline.READ MOREFour months later, the contractors remain working on the hospital site.In a letter from after the meeting, dated March 25th, and obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the Minister said correspondence from the company did not address the commitments made.“It contained no programme, no resourcing breakdown, no productivity plan, and no assurance that BAM Ireland is taking the necessary steps to recover its performance on the project,” the letter said.“Instead, I received a vague ‘expectation’ that BAM Ireland will progress the NCHI building to ‘substantial completion standard’ by 30 April with exceptions for unfinished areas and systems beyond that.”[ Setback for national children’s hospital contractor Bam in near €100m bill disputeOpens in new window ]Carroll MacNeill said: “This is wholly and entirely insufficient and falls far short of the specific commitments your representatives undertook to provide.”In recent months issues have emerged with the acoustic ventilation system, in which noise from the system has exceeded recommended limits for patient care.Carroll MacNeill said these issues are “unquestionably BAM Ireland’s responsibility” and she refuted the contractor’s assertion that there must be a more focused approach from all parties, describing it as “simply incorrect”.“At out meeting, I made clear that there is no obstacle and no lack of focus on the State’s side. What is required is focus, capability, and sufficient resourcing by BAM Ireland,” she said.“Furthermore, I remind you again that the State’s position is non-negotiable: The completion and handover of clinical and patient rooms must comply fully with all clinical and technical guidelines. No alternative standard will be accepted.”In a response two days later, John Wilkinson, chief operating officer of Bam UK and Ireland, said the contractor has been co-operating with the design team to resolve the ventilation concerns.“It is highly disappointing to have this cooperation mischaracterised in the manner it has been,” he said.“The current approach is clearly not delivering results at the required pace. We collectively need to adopt a more proactive and solutions-driven approach, as without this, it is not possible to determine when, or even if, these acoustic issues will be resolved.”A spokesman for Bam Ireland said the hospital is in the “final stages of commissioning and certification”.“In relation to the Hot Block, Levels LG, L0 and L1 are currently in possession of Children’s Health Ireland and are being used to support operational readiness activities,” the spokesman said.“Level L2 is progressing through final verification and is expected to be handed over imminently. In addition, substantial areas of the wider hospital are already available for possession and operational preparation.”Speaking last week about the hospital, Carroll MacNeill declined to provide reporters with the latest proposed substantial completion date, stating the onus was on Bam to provide this information.Last week, The Irish Times revealed a conciliator rejected a near €100 million compensation claim by Bam over disputed costs incurred during construction of the long-delayed project.