Let’s Not Repeat The Folly Of Pfis For Nhs Buildings | Letter

In consequence to Lord Hutton’s missive (23 November) connected NHS hospitals built nether nan backstage finance inaugural (PFI), independent investigation into nan creation value of PFI nationalist buildings, by each of nan auditing authorities successful nan UK, showed superior flaws and a important “quality gap” when compared to accepted design-led procurement.

In my 2007 book The Design Quality Manual: Improving Building Performance, I included results from each these reviews, starting pinch nan Audit Commission’s 2003 study PFI successful Schools. The creation flaws were serious, including mediocre functionality, short-life materials, and non-compliance pinch building and information regulations.

PFI contracts thin to beryllium led by building contractors alternatively than architects. So was nan refurbishment of Grenfell Tower. There whitethorn beryllium savings successful building costs and time. However, excessively often these are achieved astatine nan disbursal of creation and materials, and precocious finance and support costs.

As PFI buildings attack nan extremity of their 25- to 30-year concessions, location are besides wide concerns that immoderate will beryllium abandoned by their contractors and handed backmost to nan nationalist assemblage successful a depleted condition, pinch neglected repairs and escalating attraction costs.

These lessons from history show america that PFI is nary measurement to procure durable nationalist buildings cost-effectively, truthful it should surely not beryllium repeated.
Martin Cook
Chartered designer and barrister (retired), Cheltenham, Gloucestershire