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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Mar 2003

Vol. 562 No. 4

Written Answers - Schools Building Projects.

David Stanton

Question:

256 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science the parties which composed the PPP bidding committee established in order to oversee the bidding process in relation to the Cork School of Music; the moneys paid out of that will have to be paid to these parties including the specialist advisers in relation to this process and other such works or schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6312/03]

The project board for the Cork School of Music public private partnership project comprised officials from my Department, the Department of Finance, Cork Institute of Technology and my Department's specialist advisers. This board was responsible for the development of an output based specification for the project and the evaluation of the bids. Following a European wide tendering process, eleven consortia submitted tenders for the public private partnership consultancy assignment to assist and advise the Departments PPP unit with two pilot projects, a bundle of five post-primary schools and the Cork School of Music. Following an evaluation of the bids, a consortium lead by Farrell Grant Sparks and including A&L Goodbody, Solicitors were selected as advisers in April 2000.

The total consultancy contract is €494,793, excluding VAT, of which approximately €220,000 is in respect of the Cork School of Music project and includes additional consultancy work in respect of the re-financing of the senior debt on both the schools bundle PPP and the CSM by the European Investment Bank. In addition, the Department engaged Jordan Akusik to act as acoustic advisers for the evaluation of the final three short-listed bids for the CSM project at a cost of €3,174. The consultancy tender was output-based, requiring the team to deliver nine outputs ranging from advising on the appropriate procurement mechanism to putting in place an appropriate service monitoring mechanism for when the projects were operational and which would have regard for the education specialists to concentrate on their core functions within the schools-college. As all of the outputs regarding the CSM project have not been completed, the consultants are still available to the Department and the total cost of the contract has not been paid.

Question No. 257 answered with Question No. 244.

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