Unrealistic deadlines were set for a government project that was expedited in order to build modular homes for Ukrainian refugees, but the final cost per housing unit was almost twice as high as anticipated, reports RTE.
Senior officials said in internal communications that the government’s calendar, which stated when the houses would be ready for occupancy, had not even come close to being accurate.
The documents also said that the “credibility of cost forecasts” was questioned, citing an early planned price of €200,000 per unit.
An email from a senior civil servant in the Department of Public Expenditure said: “Clearly, as things have evolved this is not the case. In particular, the costings for [an] additional 200 units appear to have almost doubled from this original estimate”, reports RTE.
“This underscores the need for costs to be fully interrogated and have a high degree of confidence in the numbers we put forward to government,” the email added, reports RTE.
Additionally, the Department of Public Expenditure stated that serious doubts existed regarding the modular units’ final cost-effectiveness in comparison to alternative, more permanent housing options, as well as whether they were truly worth the money.
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