Politicians and business groups have strongly criticised the further delay in a decision on the National Conference Centre. The Dublin Chamber of Commerce says delays to date have cost the economy £145 million - almost three times the cost of the actual project.
On Tuesday evening Bord Failte's Management Board for Product Development, which was expected to make a recommendation to the Government on a suitable project, instead announced the setting up of an independent board of experts to negotiate with the five tenderers. It said the tenders were "not such as to enable the board to make a decision at this time".
A Bord Failte spokeswoman said yesterday the negotiating team will talk with all five tenderers on various aspects of their proposals.
The five-person team will include representatives from the legal, accounting/finance, architectural, marketing and quantity surveying professions. However, it will not include any representatives from the Product Management Board which has been assessing the projects to date.
The negotiating team will report back to the Product Management Board which will then make a decision on the matter, according to Bord Failte.
Some sources have suggested that the Board is treading very warily for several reasons. They say that some applicants' title to the lands they wish to develop may not be in accordance with the criteria laid down in the tender documents.
Another group, Moytura Developments from Canada, which did not put in a bid, says it has filed a complaint with the EU over the manner in which the competition is being run.
The company has contended that agreement had been reached on two properties - the CIE owned 44-acre North Wall site and Bord Gais Eireann's 20-acre site with "chosen developers" without a competitive process, which effectively shut out Moytura. These contentions have been rejected by those associated with these bids.
Dublin Chamber of Commerce yesterday criticised the Government's tendering procedure which it said did not appear to be designed to produce an automatic winner. A quick decision is vital as the Government could lose £25 million in EU funding for the project.
Meanwhile, the Fine Gael spokesman on Tourism, Mr Bernard Allen said he would be tabling an Emergency question in the Dail next week on the matter.
