Hospital contract: Lessons ignored

That cliche about doing the same thing time after time but expecting a different outcome may not have the impact it once did. It has probably been overused to the point of impotence.

However, it seems unknown to the Government. How else could the decision be made to award a contract to build a €14m, 60-bed unit at University Hospital Limerick to the Tyrone-based company Western Building Systems?

That company is embroiled in a legal battle with theDepartment of Education over fire safety and structuralconcerns regarding 42 Celtic Tiger-era schools it built forthe State.

This incomprehensible decision hardly signals a commitment to high standards or best use of public resources. Indeed, it signals a reckless indifference to hard-won, expensive experience.

No matter how officialdom squirms to justify the decision, it seems fair to say that not even the most confident civilservant would engage a company with this record if they were paying them with their own money.

So, how is it different when our money is involved?