National Children’s Hospital shambles should warn us about future projects – Tadgh McNally

The NCH saga is far from over as it misses its 18th deadline. But we should be looking ahead to the way Ireland does tendering and procurement of major projects such as Metrolink

The blame game over the National Children’s Hospital between Bam and the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board continued today. Picture: NPHDB

Another day, another delay to the opening of the National Children’s Hospital.

This is the 18th missed deadline since the project began in 2019, with the world’s most expensive hospital now 40 months passed its original completion date.

Despite Leo Varadkar stating that “short of an asteroid hitting the planet” the hospital would open in 2020, it is now apparent it will be well into 2027 before children and young people can access vital care within its walls.

To say it is a shambles of epic proportions would be an understatement. 

Blame game 

What we have seen over the years has been a blame game between the developer Bam and the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB), with mud being thrown between them at every possible juncture.

This continued yesterday, with barbs from NPHDB chief David Gunning saying he had “very little confidence” in possible completion dates being put forward by Bam and that he would be “naïve” to believe the contractor.

This was quickly followed by statements from Bam, rejecting it out of hand and stating it was “not accurate” to say the contractor had continuously missed completion dates.

The contractor is continually blaming the NPHDB, saying design changes from the board are leading to the delays.

But anyone who has passed by the building in recent months will know how complete it is at this stage, with its skeleton finished and all that remains are the rooms within.

“There’s been no material change to the design of the hospital,” said Phelim Devine, the NPHDB’s project director. 

“The number of rooms hasn’t changed, the façade hasn’t changed, the floor area hasn’t changed, the number of boilers, the number of air handling units, the number of ventilation units have not changed one bit.”

Is the suggestion from Bam now that there are major changes being made to the interior of the hospital, and this is leading to the additional delays?

Bam told minister it'd be done by April 30

This is despite the assurances that parent company Royal Bam nv made just two weeks ago to health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, where she said the company committed to the April 30 completion date. That has gone completely by the wayside, and there is no clear indication at all as to when a fully finished hospital will be handed over to the State.

The lack of clarity has led to calls by Pádraig Rice, the health committee’s chair and Social Democrats TD, to call for the State to consider legal action against the construction firm.

It seems there are few other options available to the State to pressure the company to finally get the project over the line.

Learning from NCH shambles

While the end of this sorry saga is approaching, however slowly, there must be some consideration within the Government about how the State approaches major projects in future.

It could look to the EU and pressure for reforms to tendering rules to allow past performance to play a role, or change contract rules to give the State a bigger stick to hold above the heads of contractors.

With major projects including Metrolink on the horizon, the Government cannot allow another children’s hospital fiasco.

• Tadgh McNally, Political Reporter