FOI throws out road experts' report

The Federation of Industry yesterday threw out a report by German consultants on road construction works in Malta.

It said it had meticulously analysed the report "and found it riddled with hefty inaccuracies, wrong assumptions, unsupported costings and conclusions that did not reflect any serious analysis of the particular situation under which road construction works in Malta has to be done".

The FOI said that almost a year ago the Malta Transport Authority had issued new regulations for road construction works that were meant to bring the standard of roads up to EU levels. At the same time, the FOI recalled, the authority issued and tried to impose a set of rates of payment on contractors based on the German report

"This report only surfaced and was sent to the FOI when contractors repeatedly showed their unwillingness to undertake work at ridiculous prices. It was then stated that the report was meant to serve as a basis for discussion," the FOI said.

The federation said it came as no surprise that the rates offered to road contractors were unrealistic. It had discussed the report with the German consultants and senior officials of the authority and followed this up with a detailed analysis of what it found defective in the report.

The FOI said it sent its own detailed costings and its criticism of the consultants' report to the authority and to the Minister for Urban Development and Roads more than three months ago. "Our findings were never challenged and no verbal or written contact made. A meeting with contractors was promised by the minister last May never materialised," the federation said.