Bombardier Balls-Up

Posted in Tubeworker's blog on ,

A GLA report has revealed the rip-off which saw TfL £886m out of pocket after awarding contract to Bombardier which it could not fulfil.

Not only that, but the terms of the contract meant that when Bombardier jumped ship, TfL had to pay it for the money it had spent rather than the work it had done. And all this leaves the sub-surface upgrades delayed by years.

The money lost about 20 times the annual saving that Fit for the Future - Stations is due to achieve. Massive job cuts, ticket office closures, ... and all the money saved gets chucked down the drain.

What a farce. The report calls the situation "nothing short of a disaster" for London Underground and accuses Bombardier of having "duped" TfL. Because after the PPP fiasco, no-one could possibly anti irate that a private company would try to get loads of money without delivering the work, right? Wrong.

Boris Johnson declared that Bombardier had "totally stuffed up" - a convenient passing of the buck, evading responsibility for TfL, which he chairs, also stuffing up big style on his watch. The contract was signed in 2011, three years into BoJo's tenure as Mayor.

That's the nature of private contacting - political leaders see it is contracting-out blame as well as work.

So the answer to this message is not just to manage contracts better, but to put an end to private contracting and do the work ourselves - with directly-employed staff in a department which carries out projects and major works.

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.