A leading construction and procurement industry professional has been appointed to chair the independent inquiry into the Edinburgh PP1 school buildings fiasco.
The architect John Cole brings 30 years’ experience to the role, with particular expertise in improving the quality of new, public-sector buildings’ design, procurement and construction.
‘It is expected,’ said a Council press release today, ‘that the inquiry will begin in the early autumn once the schools are fully open and the contractual position with ESP [Edinburgh Schools Partnership] has been concluded’.
Spurtle finds that sentence significantly vague, and suspects that concluding the contractual position could take longer.
Terms of reference
Cole is ‘anticipated’ to finish his report by December 2016, providing advice and recommendations on any specific or wider lessons which can be learned.
Although he will not have statutory powers to compel people to talk to him, matters he will consider include:
1. The reasons behind CEC entering into the PPP1 contract for schools, and any effect of this financing arrangement on the construction process.
2. Contractual arrangements between CEC and the Edinburgh Schools Partnership.
3. CEC’s role in the quality assurance of the construction of the buildings, granting of completion certificates, management of risks to the Council, adequacy of checks and balances for all parties to the contract.
4. Management and maintenance of the buildings since construction, and whether defects should have been found earlier.
5. Management of the contract by the relevant parties since construction; and quality of the contract.
6. Why the schools were closed and whether this was necessary.
7. CEC’s handling of the whole debacle.