Mon Sep 23 17:33:42 UTC 2024: ## National Children’s Hospital Completion Date Uncertain as BAM Faces Criticism

The completion date for the €2.24 billion National Children’s Hospital has once again been pushed back, with builders BAM now proposing June 2025, a date the overseeing board refuses to accept without a guaranteed written timeline.

This latest delay comes after revelations that BAM’s previous February 2025 deadline would not be met. The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) is expected to reveal the new date proposed by BAM at a meeting with the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday.

The NPHDB CEO, David Gunning, will highlight that BAM has shifted the completion date 14 times in the past four years, including four shifts in the last 12 months. He will express the board’s refusal to accept BAM’s repeated deferrals without a concrete, contractually compliant, and resource-loaded program.

Gunning will criticize BAM for its continued failure to provide a baseline program, a fundamental requirement for construction projects, and its disregard for professional processes, contractual procedures, and the well-being of sick children and their families.

The NPHDB blames BAM’s delay on:

* Insisting on declaring areas as complete when they are not.
* Failing to manage project execution effectively.
* Unwillingness to allocate adequate resources.

As a result of these alleged failures, the NPHDB will withhold 15% of certified payments due to BAM, a move previously implemented in 2020-2021. BAM has submitted claims totaling €748 million, which the NPHDB argues include duplicated and triplicated claims.

Responding to criticism from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, BAM has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them misleading and incorrect. The company maintains its compliance with contractual requirements and insists that any withholding of payments will be challenged through the appropriate channels.

This ongoing saga raises serious concerns about the future of the National Children’s Hospital project and its impact on the Irish healthcare system. The NPHDB’s continued frustration with BAM’s performance and the lack of a clear timeline leaves the hospital’s opening date uncertain and highlights the urgent need for a resolution to the situation.

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