Random EV thoughts.....

The Office of Public Works (OPW) spent at least €120,000 installing 12 electric car charging ports at Leinster House. One was damaged shortly afterwards in a collision and an official complaint was made that they were a trip hazard and a danger to health and safety.

Internal records also detail trouble getting a system up and running to ensure TDs and senators were charged for the electricity they used to power their vehicles.

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I guess if the OPW didn't spend their budget they wouldn't get an increase next year 🙄

I would imagine they are at that price

Obviously there's added costs since Leinster House is a historic building, you can't just slap down one of those prefab transformers in the car park

There's probably a list of "preferred suppliers" who they've used before and charge extra for specialist work

However, I also suspect that the OPW is just paying the going rate without seeking other tenders. For example if you want a trench dug you can pay a few labourers or pay ESB Networks to do it, you can probably guess the ESB price is quite steep

It's also worth noting that every time a government department spends money, they get a significant percentage back as tax. I'm not condoning waste but just keep in mind that €120,000 spent isn't a €120,000 cost to the taxpayer

Probably discounts Bob from down the pub then 😂

Anyway, it's easy to see how stricter requirements than "dig trench" can add costs, so it isn't a surprise that these contracts are so expensive

I can understand that for the OPW they'd probably rather spend the money to be sure the job is done the way they want than try to save money by getting some idiots who screw it up

It's probably less of a scandal to overpay than to be left holding the bag

However, I would suggest that perhaps the OPW should re-examine some of their tendering practices

There're numerous reasons for OPW's expensive projects.

• There's a contactor framework which is difficult to get on.
• They have preferred suppliers meaning as a contractor you pretty much have to use them.
• For every single piece of material you use on a job, you must submit datasheets and wait for approval. Most likely would be rejected if it's not one of their preferred products. The absolute best of gear.
• Even though the project management are all engineers, they still hire private engineering consultants, essentially another layer of cost and bureaucracy.