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APPENDIX 12LETTER TO CLERK TO JOINT COMMITTEE FROM ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS OF IRELANDThe ACEI made representations, at the time of the awarding of the NET contract in 1976, to both the Minister for Industry and Commerce and the Chairman of NET. The points raised at the time were valid and, in the light of what has since emerged on the Marino Point, we feel should be brought to the notice of the Oireachtas Joint Committee. These included:— 1.The capability of Irish Consulting Engineers to design and Irish Contractors to construct large and complex Industrial Plants has been clearly demonstrated. 2.The capability of Irish Consulting Engineering firms to arrange and to administer large contracts including the control and costs has been demonstrated on many occasions. 3.On any industrial project, however specialised, a very large proportion of the work comprises: 3.1.Civil works such as jettys, roads, drainage, water supply, effluent treatment, etc. 3.2.Structural works such as foundations, buildings, bridges, etc. 3.3.Mechanical works, including piped services, air conditioning, steam plants, etc. 3.4.Electrical Services including telecommunications. All of this work is well within the capability of Irish Consulting Firms who are engaged on the design and contract supervision of projects involving these disciplines both at home and abroad. It is conceded, however, that on occasions a process element may be involved which necessitates input from a specialist consultant or a firm holding know-how, the patents, or the exclusive rights to a particular process. On such occasions, it is our contention that the specialist should be employed in the role of sub-contracting consultant to the main project consultant. On Irish projects involving the expenditure of large sums of Irish money the appointment of Irish people to head the project team would simply be following the practice which nowadays operates world-wide both in developed and developing countries. Furthermore, the acquisition of know-how and experience from association with such large projects puts the Irish Consultant in a strong position when seeking similar projects overseas. In this regard we suggest that it is the responsibility of both State and semi-State concerns to involve directly, and to a much greater extent than at present, private consulting firms in large capital projects. This is the State policy in any of those countries which have developed successful and lucrative overseas engineering consultancy operations. In our country where great effort and expense is put into job creation, the attitude of NET to the representations made in 1976 by both the Construction Industry Federation and our own Association was difficult to comprehend. It is to be hoped that the lessons learned from this present experience will ensure that, in future, responsible organisations, such as the ACEI, with an interest in the welfare and future of the country will receive a more sympathetic hearing. For the information of your Committee please find enclosed copies of: 1.Our letter of May 21st 1976 to the Minister for Industry and Commerce. 2.Our letter of May 10th 1976 to the Chairman of NET. Should your Committee wish to receive oral evidence from our Association, we shall be pleased to send a delegation. Yours faithfully,
ATTACHMENT A
Dear Minister, This Association has noted with concern the views as reported in the Press to have been expressed by you suggesting that the capability to design and build such plants as that proposed by Nítrigin Éireann Teoranta does not exist in this country. The capability of Irish Consulting Engineers to design and Irish Contractors to construct large and complex industrial plants has been clearly demonstrated on such projects as Ferenka, Pfizer, Syntex, Abbot Laboratories, Cement Limited, Holister Incorporated, Burlington Industries, GAF, Asahi and Becton Dickinson, to name a few. Member firms of our Association have worked with Irish Contractors on these schemes and for this reason are qualified to assess their capabilities. Consequently, we cannot accept the assessment reportedly expressed by you about Irish Contractors. It is to be regretted that you have apparently been misinformed or misled in this matter. In any industrial project, however specialised, a very large proportion of the work comprises straightforward Civil, Structural, Mechanical and Electrical engineering, all of which is well within the capability of Irish firms. We do not dispute the fact that it may be necessary to engage foreign expertise on certain limited areas of some projects. However, where this arises, the necessary expertise should be enlisted by Irish Consulting Engineering firms. As a matter of courtesy a copy of this letter is being sent to the Construction Industry Federation. Yours faithfully, Michael O’Doherty. ATTACHMENT B
Dear John, Enclosed for your information as Chairman of NET is a copy of a letter which I have sent to the Irish Independent. As you will note a copy has also gone to the Secretary of NET. The fact that we did not rush to print and “launch an attack on NET” as quoted in the Independent does not mean that the Association are not very concerned about the failure of NET to have Irish Consultants involved in this large State-funded project. While we hold no pretensions as to our capabilities in the design of the process end of an Ammonia/Urea plant, there must be a considerable percentage of such a project made up of:— (a)Marine Works. (b)Site preparation and foundations. (c)Effluent Treatment. (d)Building Works. (e)Associated Building Services and (f)Electrical Installations. to name just a few. All of these could, and we suggest should, have been designed and constructed by Irish firms. No doubt there will be counter argument regarding split responsibility and so on. We understand, however, that NET have stated that their own people are acting as Project Managers on this site so the question of split responsibility and co-ordination of various Consulting Firms should not arise. Sincerely yours, M. O’Doherty. c.c. Mr. J. Dunne, Executive Director IDA. |
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