No final work programme for Children's Hospital as tensions mount

The new National Children's Hospital site in James Street and Rialto.

The developer of the National Children's Hospital cannot provide a final work programme because it claims parts of the building have yet to be fully designed.

With less than a year to go before the €2bn hospital is due to be handed over, it is understood BAM is claiming it is impossible to come up with a final programme or completion date because it is still awaiting design details for the facility.

However, the hospital board has insisted there has been "no material change" to the design since above ground works commenced and the design remains consistent with that agreed in the contract.

Significant disagreement also remains in relation to what the board described as the "large volumes" of claims that continue to be submitted by BAM, with 2,122 claims received by the end of last month. A total of €13m has already been paid out in relation to some of these claims.

Concerns have now been raised that BAM could completely pull out of the project if relations between both sides further deteriorate.

It comes after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar dismissed reports of significant issues with 11 of the hospital's operating theatres as an "unhelpful distraction" aimed at shifting the focus away from the contractor.

Sinn Féin's health spokesperson David Cullinane has warned that "major generic faults" have been identified that could cost tens of millions of euro and would push out the completion date further, however, this was strongly refuted by the board yesterday.

Both Mr Varadkar and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly took aim at BAM for failing to produce a completion progamme, which is in breach of the company's contract.

A worker at the construction site of the new National Children's Hospital in Dublin. 

A Department of Health spokesperson said the main contractor’s last programme stated that substantial completion would be in March 2024 and an updated version, which has now expired, suggested that substantial completion could be achieved by the end of May 2024.

However, a source close to BAM said: "How can you submit a final work programme with a completion date when you are still getting variations on the design?"

In a statement BAM said its sole focus is on delivering the Children’s Hospital with over 80% of the project complete and said the company is closely working with the design team on the revised scope of work for the operating theatres.

"We are continuing to prepare the programme update as required under the contract based on the scope as currently known."

In a statement BAM said its sole focus is on delivering the Children’s Hospital.

Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan, who previously worked as an architect on healthcare projects, said any further breakdown in relations between the State and the contractor must be avoided.

"In 2019, BAM offered to pull out of the project following political criticism of the tender process. It is important during this latest controversy we do not reach that stage again."

She warned that the "complex" nature of hospitals means that work "cannot be simply completed by other firms" if BAM were to walk away.