Recommendation 18

We questioned the Clerk of the House of Commons on the House administration’s performance managing similar programmes. The expected cost of the Elizabeth Tower refurbishment has roughly tripled, from £29 million set out in the outline business case in 2016 to £80 million in the revised business case approved in 2020. The Clerk of the House acknowledged that initial cost forecasting of the Elizabeth Tower in 2016 was deficient, citing reasons including that the project did not do intrusive surveys and that the project did not have a dedicated team.43 The Northern Estate Programme was closed, with £70 million written off, without a new plan in place for how to decant the House of Commons.44 Also, House officials previously managed the construction of Portcullis House, opened in September 2000. This committee found that although aspects of the project were managed well, the final cost was 18% higher than the original budget and statutory procurement rules were not followed when letting the contract for the building’s fenestration. This resulted in legal fees and damages payable by the House of almost £10 million.45