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The truths they don't want you to read....

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

ROK collapse

I've spent a large part of the past week helping companies and businesses affected by the collapse of ROK.

Apart from the obvious danger to the future of local business one theme has been coming though.

HIE = Highland and Islands Enterprise.

ROK get the contract to provide all building services to HIE, despite not then having a base in the HIE area.

The contract for the improvement to Arnish are awarded without the need for tender to ROK because of the insolvency of ROK urgency of the situation.

Wouldn't it have been more appropriate for HIE to encourage businesses in the HIE area by, er, funding someone in the region to gain the skills to compete for the tender, or alternatively to determine that a HIE area business has to win the contract for the very economic reasons that HIE advance for their very existence.

Regardless, I am picking up the crap that politicians issue inane press releases saying what they are thinking that they might think about doing something about.   I'm helping keeping clients in jobs. They are just doing their jobs with no regard for those affected. Grrrrr.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reading through your lines, ;-))


Since when were HIE anything but a law unto themselves ?

Anonymous said...

The one business that seems to be thriving in this town is the Scaffolders and the hauliers bringing the stuff in. Anyone got any idea why the Lanntair is now surrounded?

Anonymous said...

I think they are trying to emulate the Pompidou.

Dr Evadne said...

Wasn't ROK some relation of the construction firm Tulloch which has/does/was have some island 'connections'? Even so HIE have a record of doing things willy nilly. Take for example, and once again, the Tabost business units in S.Lochs. Opened to great aclaim...to stand empty for three years. Where else can you get funding for something that has no business plan or potential end users?

Has anyone ever had a look at exactly how cost effective in terms of attracting new business HIE are? Perhaps the 'Enterprise' bit is an indication of its basis in science fiction?

Live long & prosper.

Anonymous said...

Pity they didn't lobby for funding for a tunnel to the mainland when times were better. Zero chance now, in these times. Ah, let's see what's in the press today:

"The Stornoway ferry was cancelled for the second consecutive day ... supermarket shelves were bare of essentials as the vessel was storm-bound in Ullapool since Wednesday morning."

Should.

Have.

Built.

A.

Tunnel.

Anonymous said...

Don't

Talk

Sh##e

Anonymous said...

@8.43 Presumably you mean the town hall, as An Lanntair is now the lovely institution with dire financial problems next door. Town hall has been up for some controversial modernisations for some time.

@1.05 Do you have a business plan for a tunnel? Cost/benefit per capita might be interesting, put it up against the Dunedin tram perhaps.