When a purchase is "off the shelf" the buyer does not prepare a specification as they are purchasing a specific item_already specified by the seller_.
Essentially the buyer is saying "I'll have one of those". The buyer in fact abandons any right to vary the specific item and has no legal basis to claim unless the seller fails to provide the specific item purchased "off the shelf" or fails to maintain the quality and capacity in the delivered item.
For a purchase of the magnitude of this order the final purchase order/payment commitment would be signed off by the Minister. The Minister bears the ultimate responsibility. Not having a specification is a typical result of the political concept of doing away with red tape!
It is interesting to note that in NSW TfNSW still does not have a system specification for Light Rail vehicles so the potential still exists for another L1 trams cannot carry passengers on the L2/L3 tracks and vice versa situation.
Greg
On 22/10/2021 1:38 pm, TP wrote:
> 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
>
> On Friday, October 22, 2021 at 10:49:17 AM UTC+11gregsut...@... wrote:
>
> The situation in Queensland is not related to attitudes or actions
> of Queensland rail engineers. Rather it is a manifestation, and
> an expensive one, of the obsessive "buy foreign and 'off the
> shelf' public transit trainsets policiy of former Premier Campbell
> Newman.
>
> Similar buy off the shelf or imports while excluding locals
> fiascoes can be seen in the doctrinaire policies that have been
> applied in NSW, Constance trains/ferries and Victoria, Kennett
> trams (C & Ds) and trains.
>
> Greg
>
>
>
> On 20/10/2021 5:32 pm, TP wrote:
>> That lack of respect for people with a disability, including any
>> mobility impairment, is universal in the public transport sector
>> in Australia. Not confined to Queensland governments or
>> Queensland rail engineers by any means.
>>
>> Tony P
>>
>> On Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 3:20:59 PM UTC+11
>> gregsut...@... wrote:
>>
>>
>> https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-10/queensland-rail-inquiry-new-trained-failed-from-day-one-forde/10600554
>>
>>
>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> Google Groups "TramsDownUnder" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
>> send an email totramsdownunde...@....
>> To view this discussion on the web visit
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/ca8a9547-32ab-4207-a062-17b0fe98a930n%40googlegroups.com
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/ca8a9547-32ab-4207-a062-17b0fe98a930n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer.
>
>
> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TramsDownUnder" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email totramsdownunder+unsubscribe@....
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/b1aa3f1d-5c98-44e0-b9af-a9682bd0d562n%40googlegroups.com https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/b1aa3f1d-5c98-44e0-b9af-a9682bd0d562n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer.