Letters
You quote a director of a major consultant saying that he thought Transport for London (TfL) work would be small beer and that the personnel he has assigned to projects is not his 'A' team (NCE last week).
If I was in charge of TfL I would make sure that his firm did not get any further work.
No client wants to feel that the personnel assigned by his contractors are not up to the job.
This seems to be typical of today's climate. So-called reputable consultants setting out to undercut each other on price and then complaining that they are not getting a fair return for their efforts.
Reverse auctions are odious and some will say TfL has only itself to blame. We have all seen it before. A high-level decision is made to submit a low, undercutting bid to get a foot in the door.
The belief is that they will do a good job and the client will order future work at such an inflated rate that a proper return will be made. Nine times out of 10 such a strategy comes to a sorry end.
Denis Stephens (F), denis.stephens@btinternet. com
You might also like...
Council to rule on £196M Edinburgh tram expansion
Edinburgh councillors have begun the month long process of examining the final business case for extending Edinburgh’s tram line to Newhaven, before announcing their final decision in March.
Scots rail viaduct in Harry Potter films set for new walkway
A walkway is being upgraded to allow better views of the famous Glenfinnan railway Viaduct, which features in the Harry Potter films.
‘Root and branch’ rail review launches call for evidence
The “root and branch” review into the UK’s rail industry, announced by transport Secretary Chris Grayling in September, has launched its call for evidence.
Autumn Budget | Industry hopes for northern funding
Industry leaders have called for greater funding for the North ahead of today’s budget announcement.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Please remember that the submission of any material is governed by our Terms and Conditions and by submitting material you confirm your agreement to these Terms and Conditions. Please note comments made online may also be published in the print edition of New Civil Engineer. Links may be included in your comments but HTML is not permitted.