The Marsascala family park, opened just two weeks before the March general election, was a rushed job with direct orders worth hundreds of thousands of euro dished out to make the deadline, according to a report published yesterday.

Details of the expensive project were revealed by the Management Efficiency Unit, a Government entity.

Its report, made public by the Environment Ministry, is peppered with examples of cost overruns and price variations that totalled 40 per cent of the envis-aged expense.

The direct orders were a result of expediency rather than urgency, the report found, implying that this might have been the result of negligence, malpractice “or more serious motives”.

“If this was the fruit of deliberate practice it is likely that most traces would have even been removed at the time,” the report noted, adding a full internal audit at this stage may be impractical.

Environment Minister Leo Brincat was non-committal when asked whether he would be calling in the police to investigate.

“I will have to seek advice on the matter. My ministry will analyse the report and consult everyone whom we are obliged to consult. I believe a holistic plan is required to tackle the issues outlined in the report,” he said.

In one of the more salient examples of cost overruns, the unit found that a visitors’ centre and storm water culvert cost €500,000 more than originally planned.

This was attributed to poor site assessment before the tendering process, leading to higher expenses when excavation works started. A direct order worth €200,000 for the planting and maintenance of trees was issued for the maze area when the Government’s own parks department had already assumed responsibility for the upkeep of an adjacent area.

In another instance, the rubber surfacing for the children’s play area was contracted out by direct order worth €300,000 in December last year when the planning approval for the area was in hand three years earlier. “It should not be acceptable that procurement such as that for trees and play equipment, the requirement for which surely was known at least a year before it was actually required, be issued as a direct order,” the unit said.

Procurement regulations require that any variations and direct orders be accompanied by the relative rationale, but the assessors found that although procedure appeared to have been followed, the rationale was often weak.

Urgency was often quoted as the reason for the direct orders, but the unit questioned the arguments put forward to justify the decisions taken.

The unit said that delaying the procurement process to such an extent that no time was left until the scheduled opening date did not make it a matter of urgency, unless funding was committed to the opening.

“At the family park a number of direct orders fell in the latter category and could have been delivered through the tendering process had adequate planning taken place,” the unit noted.

In a scathing assessment of the park’s health and safety, the report insisted it was “inconceivable” that a project expected to provide recreation to families was opened without the appropriate health and safety certification.

A site inspection revealed concerns that coarse gravel was used to fill in the areas between each toy, creating a grazing and choking hazard for young children.

Perimeter fencing, especially in the toddlers’ area, was absent or of the type that created an obstacle to parents trying to contain their children – the design allowed toddlers to walk underneath the barrier completely unhindered.

Mr Brincat said he will be making recommendations to Cabinet on the way forward, adding the park had to be managed professionally and sustainably.

“It is not business as usual but we are committed that the park re-opens its doors for families after addressing various management and safety issues highlighted by the unit,” he said.

The unit recommended that projects of such magnitude should be independently audited throughout the construction phase to provide greater scrutiny.

And while cost overruns and variations were to be expected, the unit said these had to be managed effectively.

The Nationalist Party said that Mr Brincat’s words were riddled with inconsistencies. For example, the report clearly said that all direct orders and variations had been approved by the competent authorities. However, Mr Brincat said he did not exclude there may have been irregularities.

The PN said that the minister had always opposed the building of the park and he had now come up with the excuse of gas emissions from the recycling plant to shut it down.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com