Fury as local firm is banned from swimming pool tender

A company which built a public swimming pool in the mid-1970s has been told it can not tender for its €4m replacement because it has not built a pool in the past seven years.

Cork county councillors have described new tendering guidelines, imposed by the Government and the EU, as ‘crazy’ and claim they will inevitably lead to job losses among smaller companies.

Cahalane Brothers Ltd, which is based in Dunmanway, was told by council officials it was precluded from tendering for the town’s new swimming pool because it did not meet the criteria of having built one in the past seven years.

Managing director Conor Cahalane said he worked with his father and uncle on building the existing swimming pool and was “extremely disappointed”.

The company, which was established in 1931, has carried out many large projects in recent years, including building “water-retaining structures” which are not far removed from swimming pools.

He said he had a responsibility to source work for his staff and if precluded from tendering for local work had no alternative but to travel out considerable distances to find it.

“We directly employ 15 people and around 20 sub-contractors at any given time,” he said.

Councillor Joe Carroll said he was “horrified” at the exclusion of Cahalane Brothers and added he was aware of similar incidents.

The mayor of Co Cork, Alan Coleman, confirmed that the council’s Corporate Policy Group was looking into the whole issue. “It’s ridiculous. The guidelines need to be relaxed and more flexible,” he said.