§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will calculate the cost of rectifying the nail sickness in the roof of the Royal High School in Edinburgh.
§ Mr. MarksThe extent of nail sickness—the corrosion of nails pinning down roof slates—is not know precisely, but an adequate allowance has been made in the estimated conversion cost for items of deferred maintenance such as this.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what criteria he selected the six contractors whom he invited to tender for work at the Royal High School in Edinburgh; whether he proposes fixed price or cost-plus contracts; and what are the grounds on which one of the six firms he approached has declined to tender.
§ Mr. MarksThe firms invited to tender by the Property Services Agency for the conversion of the former Royal High School buildings were chosen in accordance with normal selective tendering procedures based on knowledge of their general experience in the type of work concerned and the amount of Government work already under contract. It is not usual practice to let contracts lasting more than 12 months on a fixed price basis, and the contract was let on a schedule of rates for the various types of work involved. It would be a breach of commercial confidence for the agency to specify reasons, where known, why a particular firm declined to tender when invited to do so.