Local firms lose out as council opts for Irish builders
Concerns have been raised over East Lothian Council's procurement process due to the limited number of local firms being awarded construction contracts within the county.
It emerged last month that only one local company is involved in developing the John Gray Centre — East Lothian's new archive, library museum and heritage facility in Haddington.
And at a Cabinet meeting it was further revealed that just one out of five firms issued with tender documents for a proposed 6.9m upper primary school in Dunbar is from Scotland – the others hailing from Ireland.
Delivering
Councillor Willie Innes told the meeting: ""It seems to me that there have been a significant number of contracts awarded to companies outwith East Lothian.
"This one (the contract for a new school in Dunbar] highlights a serious problem with our procurement policy because if you look at the companies invited to tender you will see that the company with the greatest experience in delivering primary schools on budget and on time, to a very high standard (Hart Builders], has failed to get on the list."
He added: "This company successfully built two schools for this council (Tranent's Windygoul and Sanderson's Wynd primaries] and those schools were praised by people such as the First Minister and Education Secretary."
Successful
As explained by the council's Head of Community Housing and Property Management, Alan Forsyth, the contract for the construction of the Dunbar school was subject to the EU Procurement Process, which involves completion of a pre-qualification questionnaire.
It is understood that Hart Builders was not successful through that process.
Full report appears in East Lothian News and Musselburgh News, March 12, 2010
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