News International


The pilots aim to find effective ways


to promote transparency, accountability and efficiency, including greater openness about procurement, programmes and assessing the quality of what has been built. The process was carried out in a


broadly similar fashion in each country, although with some subtle differences. Vietnam’s government is set to publish the raw project data into newspapers. Ethiopia, meanwhile, had to change its procurement legislation to allow for disclosure of project data. The launch of the pilot reports will be


followed by a consultation period, when each country will discuss how the lessons learned can be embedded in current procurement practice. McKittrick outlines the range of


Dehli: it could have been different


THE BUDGET INFLATION and suspicions of corruption that dogged the construction programme at the Delhi Commonwealth Games could have been avoided if the Games’ organising committee had followed the procedures laid down in a new international pro-transparency initiative, writes Michael Willoughby. The Construction Sector Transparency


Initiative (CoST) is examining barriers to greater accountability in public sector construction projects in the UK, Ethiopia, Malawi, the Philippines, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia. “Greater transparency could have


led to extra eyes looking at the process and more openness about the procurement process and how the projects were running on the way through,” said Bob McKittrick, who chaired


the multi-stakeholder group of the UK CoST pilot study. “If the Games had been constructed


with the CoST process in place, there would have been material released on the project from cradle to grave — at the start and at three-month intervals.” “If the organising committee


had committed to releasing quality certificates and details of risks at regular stages, alarm bells could have started to ring,” said McKittrick. The CoST initiative, which is supported


by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, is being piloted internationally as well as in the UK. The UK has already published its reports, and the other countries are due to publish their results over the next month.


A police officer outside the Thyagaraj Stadium, which seats 4,494 and was built for US$65m. It will host the Games’ netball competition


information that could have been gathered in India. “It would include the project specification, tender process (including those who have taken an interest in the project), ultimate beneficiaries, outcome feasibility and prices. This could have provided an early warning system. Questions would have been asked by the media and the public.” The Commonwealth Games’ original


budget of 12bn rupees (£168m) rocketed to 115bn rupees by August this year, making it the most expensive Games ever. It’s estimated that between 42 and 70 people were killed building the project. See comment, p12


“ If the organising committee had released quality certificates and details of risks at regular stages, alarm bells could have started to ring.” Bob McKittrick, chairman UK CoST pilot


Barcelona, Dublin, Chicago and Rome open doors to top buildings


Open House, the 18-year-old annual event when members of the public are given free access to notable buildings, is fast becoming one of the UK’s most successful exports. Barcelona has launched its


own version of the programme this year and 150 architectural projects will admit the curious on 16 and 17 October. New York,


Dublin, Galway and Tel Aviv already have their own Open House events, which are accredited by Open-City, the organisation behind Open House London. Chicago and Rome are planning to take part in 2011. To use the Open House name, participating cities have to prove they will show a sufficient number of high-quality buildings


and that the public will have access for free. Nathalie Weadick, director of


the Irish Architectural Foundation, said Open House Dublin had helped to reverse the negative view of buildings built in Ireland’s 15-year boom (right). “People said they didn’t know that some really good buildings came out of it,” she said.


CONSTRUCTION MANAGER | OCTOBER 2010 | 7


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