BAM hits back at 'ill-informed and incorrect allegations' over ...
The lead contractor for the National Children’s Hospital (NCH) has criticised “misleading, ill-informed and incorrect allegations” about its work on the project.
In a lengthy statement, BAM said its priority is to deliver the hospital “for the benefit of the children of Ireland and their families as quickly as possible”.
It rejected claims levelled against it by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) and repeated in the Health Minister’s letter to the Taoiseach last week which said the contractor was showing a disregard for children and seeking to extract a maximum amount of money from the Irish taxpayer.
It comes as NPHDB chief executive David Gunning told the Oireachtas Health Committee that the board was not receiving the “BAM A game” on the project, while declining to set out if the hospital developers would meet their latest completion timeline.
The long-delayed project is now expected to cost the State €2.2bn, with Mr Gunning insisting the price would not be inflated further and the board was unwilling to give developers BAM any further funds.
Under questioning by Social Democrat TD Róisín Shortall, Mr Gunning said the value of outstanding claims by BAM is about €750m, from a total of 2,161 claims. However, he said 18 claims made up 80% of this €750m figure.
On the completion of rooms, which has been a source of dispute between BAM and the hospital board, project director Phelim Devine said his team had inspected 500 rooms of the over 3,000 the builder had offered as completed.
Mr Devine said of the rooms inspected, the team had found an average of between 13 and 15 defects per room. He said these range from incomplete works in the ceiling, to issues with duct works, as well as fire sealing on doors.
Claims 'no basis in fact'
BAM said the claims about money “have absolutely no basis in fact” and are unhelpful.
“To be clear, BAM is only looking for the money to which it is properly entitled for work done under the contract, and not a penny more,” the statement said.
BAM said it is engaged in works to “correct thousands of design errors” identified in the NPHDB's compliance audit.
These include relocating thousands of ceiling-mounted services like smoke detectors, CCTV cameras and sprinkler heads.
It said this work was the substantive cause of delays since January, adding: “The ceiling issues are merely the latest in a long list of design issues and changes. To be clear, apart from a limited number of items, the NPHDB is responsible for the design of the hospital.”
BAM said it has received more than 23,900 new and revised drawings, sketches and BIM models and schedules for the project.
It said this was “an unprecedented volume of change” when considering the project had been under design for more than eight years.
It said a “huge level of design change has continued into the latter stages of this project”, with more than 1,500 new drawings issued to BAM in 2024 alone.
The statement added: “BAM made numerous requests of the NPHDB over the past five years for their design programme, which we have never received.
“Instead, BAM receives design information in a fragmented, piecemeal format making it extremely difficult to programme the works.”
BAM also accused the development board of “actively underfunding the project”.
BAM maintains the project “has always been fully resourced” according to the original work programme, adding it is currently resourced at approximately 50% above the level that was anticipated for this late stage.
It said it hit a peak of 1,705 operatives on the site, above its projected forecast of 1,424.
On claims that the contractor was presenting areas of the hospital as finished, BAM said that none of the reference rooms for inspection were handed over as “completed”.
“BAM has sought repeatedly to work through issues with the board. However, as we have seen, the board has ignored the fair provisions of the contract when the independent conciliator findings do not suit it.
“We have serious questions over the current board’s ability to manage the project and to account fairly and truthfully for what is happening procedurally, and we have a range of suggestions as to how the management of the project can be improved for the benefit of all.
“The board’s current position is actively underfunding the project and starving the Irish supply chain of the money is it fairly due. We now need the board to engage with us and restart the mediation process to ensure this crucial project is completed as soon as possible for the people of Ireland.”
