The saga around the National Children’s Hospital has taken another turn. The initial hope that the primary construction would be finalised by Autumn, preparing it for its earliest patients by next year, has been thwarted. According to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, the latest projected date is now February 2025, and with a further six to nine months required for outfitting, the hospital doors won’t open until after the next general election.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, even the revised completion date seems doubtful, and a thorough plan to achieve it hasn’t been presented to the hospital board yet. Meanwhile, in a Dáil discussion, Tánaiste Micheál Martin expressed his accusations towards the contractors for intentionally delaying the construction, a claim vehemently denied by BAM.
The ongoing issue highlights two principal concerns. The first involves completing and opening the hospital as swiftly and economically as feasible. The second is improving the management for large-scale projects in the future. Neither task is simple.
Early political indecisiveness regarding the hospital’s location, multiple leadership changes on the responsible board, and a crucial failure in detailing, costing, and managing the project sufficiently from the outset have all contributed to the hospital’s troubled history, according to a PWC report. There are signs that litigation is a likely next step in resolving various disputes with the contractor, which could drive the current €2.24 billion cost estimate even higher.
The State now needs to reflect on the initial blunders made in the contract specifications and the significant delays in building the hospital. Covid-19 shutdowns added to these unavoidable factors. The key to avoiding such errors in the future is ensuring the initial specifications and contracts are precise – settling for the lowest bid, for instance, is pointless when costs subsequently multiply. Once a contract is agreed upon, quick project completion is critical. The saga of the children’s hospital underpins the old adage “time is money.”
In light of the significant State investment scheduled in various sectors in the coming years, it is crucial that the lessons are taken on board.