A newly released internal audit has found that no value for money assessment was conducted before proceeding with the controversial €336,000 bike shelter at Leinster House, revealing significant oversight failures in the project’s management.
The long-awaited report, conducted by Deloitte and published by the Office of Public Works (OPW) following a Freedom of Information appeal, identified three high-priority issues and noted an “absence of some fundamental good practices” in the project’s execution.
According to the audit, the OPW failed to evaluate lower-cost alternatives or even consider the option of “doing nothing” before moving forward with construction. “Approval to proceed with the project should only have been formalised when these evaluations were complete,” the report stated.
The investigation also discovered that the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (HOC), the governing body overseeing service delivery, was never informed about the project’s costs until after completion. “The HOC did not request cost information and the OPW did not present cost information,” auditors noted, warning this created “an increased risk of mismatch in expectations on delivery versus cost of delivery.”
A third key finding highlighted the lack of proper governance structures for projects valued under €500,000, with the report concluding: “Where there is a lack of oversight of projects there is a risk that these projects may not represent value for money or may not deliver to exact requirements in an efficient and effective manner.”
Additional concerns were raised about improper documentation, with some project paperwork not properly signed or dated, and delays in the OPW’s internal audit team receiving updates and information from colleagues.
In response to the findings, the OPW has issued a statement accepting the audit’s conclusions, noting that the recommendations “will enhance capital expenditure practices across the OPW, with a specific focus on projects costing €500,000 or below” and “provide a platform from which control improvements can be made for capital projects into the future.”
The report was initially released following a Freedom of Information appeal and was subsequently published in full on the OPW’s website.