Well Tony, as I have stated on this forum before, there is a philosophy in government departments that says that contractors will always do the right thing and that supervision/overwatch is not necessary. I have seen this phenomenon first hand.
As for buying the cheapest there was a sign on the plant manager’s desk of a grain mill at which I was the electrician many years ago. “Buying any product is like buying oats. If you want quality then you must pay. If you will accept oats that have already been through the horse then you will get them cheaper.”
The loss of manufacturing industry in Australia is often blamed on the unions. Whilst they made an honest contribution it really was a group effort as company management and politicians made their not insignificant contributions as well.
Geoff O.
From: TP
Sent: Friday, October 22, 2021 1:38 PM
To: TramsDownUnder
Subject: Re: [TramsDownUnder] Re: New Queensland train delivery doomed 'from day one', inquiry chief declares
But who drew up the specifications for this train, including the measurements and design that should have complied with the DDA standards? Not politicians for sure. Perhaps the Indian builders didn't comply with the specification (that would be unusual)? So who then had oversight of the ongoing progress of the build to ensure that it complied with the specifications? Again, not the politicians.
It's very typical around the world for train tenders to be advertised internationally, with the successful bidder not necessarily in the customer's home country. Or, like NSW, the successful bidder is in Australia but subcontracts construction work overseas. It's then incumbent on the local company to ensure compliance of the product.
I don't necessarily support this. It's better if these transport products are built in Australia, but there can be good reasons why a particular specialised product with very small production runs has to be sourced overseas. Trams come to mind. It certainly annoys me that any buses at all should be imported but the blame for that often state Treasuries that insist on the cheapest product.
Tony P