The real Olympic problem

Let's move on from the departure of Jack Lemley and get to the nub of the problem, which Lemly did allude to after leaving - the budget. I'm told the programme management team led by Laing O'Rourke and Mace is aiming to play it very tough when submitting what they think the real budget for this scheme is. This is due to take place early next year. Given that the team includes Davis Langdon, the firm that is still nursing some scars from the Scottish Parliament disaster, the PM will offer a stark choice to the client - when the inevitably higher than expected number comes in (does this supposed shocked reaction from the national press to the fact that the budget may be a smidgeon more than they first said make you laugh as well?) do one of two things:

1) Admit it and scale down your plans

2) Admit it and try and get more cash.

Whatever you do don't do what many clients have tried to do before, with disastrous results:

3) Pretend everything is OK when it isn't.

If 3) does happen, this is where I believe clear voices from the PM team will emerge and voice what a blunder they think the client is making. 3) happened at the Scottish Parliament and both Davis Langdon and construction manager Bovis Lend Lease regret not breaking ranks and letting it be known how pear-shaped things were going.

I hope some sanity can prevail here. The problem as ever seems the overlapping interested parties client-side that are involved. Forgetting to include VAT in the original budget doesn't help much as well.

The last one to leave...

Something of an addition to an earlier blog on energy saving. An email reaches me from the Friends of the Earth that quantifies potential profligacy in the office:

"A photocopier left on overnight uses enough energy to make 1,500 photocopies. Lighting an average-size office overnight wastes enough energy to heat water for 1,000 cups of tea. Make sure the last one to leave the office switches off."