[Article] NRA director resigned on day his firm won contract

Victor

http://www.thepost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=NEWS-qqqs=news-qqqid=10020-qqqx=1.asp

NRA director resigned on day his firm won contract
27 November 2005
By Niamh Connolly

A director of the National Roads Authority (NRA) resigned from the post on the same day his private consultancy company was awarded a multimillion euro contract by the authority.

Brendan O'Mara resigned as a director of the NRA on August 12, according to the Department of Transport.

The same day, the NRA awarded the Bruce Shaw Partnership - O'Mara's Dublin charter surveying and project management firm - the contract to manage the cost and support services for its roadbuilding programme.

The contract, which is estimated to be worth about €1 million a year, runs for three years, but can be extended for a further two years without going to tender.

O'Mara's company was awarded the contract with three other firms - British firm Schofield Lothian, Irish company Staveley & Partners and Morrice & Associates from Scotland.

The NRA advertised the contract on June 9 and a shortlist of companies was drawn up on July 14 that included Bruce Shaw and five international companies.

O'Mara said he was a director of the NRA when the tender documents were issued and when the agency drew up the shortlist. He said he was not on the board when the contract was awarded and he did not think it was inappropriate for an NRA director's company to tender for an NRA contract.

O'Mara said NRA contracts came up for “noting'‘ at a meeting of the authority's board, but the NRA said the cost and support services contract was not discussed at board level.

An NRA spokesman said: “Brendan O'Mara had no part in the decision to advertise this contract and had no involvement whatsoever in the tender or award process.”

He said O'Mara resigned before the board meeting that was advised of the intention to award the contract. The meeting was held on September 13, a month after the winning company was informed.

O'Mara was appointed to the NRA board in April 2003 by former transport minister Seamus Brennan, who said he wanted to boost the board's construction expertise.

mike65

O'Mara said he was a director of the NRA when the tender documents were issued and when the agency drew up the shortlist. He said he was not on the board when the contract was awarded and he did not think it was inappropriate for an NRA director's company to tender for an NRA contract.

Sheeeeeeeeeze! Not quite insider trading but a bit too close for me.

Mike.

Mailman

I've always been of the opinion that the NRA was there to dole out contracts to Construction companies and always acted in the interested of the construction companies as appointees to the Quango are recruited from the construction industry. There is no representation for the consumer in the NRA.

MontgomeryClift

And to make it worse the NRA is just an arm of the government. The opposition should refer to it as the NRA/Government in the same way that politicians refer to Sinn-Féin/IRA.

Mailman

Actually from mails I've sent the Minister for Transport and NRA it appears they adopt the same stance as IRA\Sinn Fein.
When I complained about anything the NRA would direct me to the Minister and the Minister would direct me to the NRA stating that they were autonomous and not answerable to him.