£11m Lyric Theatre Belfast contract “manipulated”

Stormont’s spending watchdog says it has a “strong impression” that the awarding of the contract for rebuilding Belfast’s Lyric Theatre to the firm Gilbert Ash was “manipulated”, with “serious flaws” in the tendering process. The Public Accounts Committee report states that “unexplained” adjustments to the costs in the tenders were made by the consultants running the bidding process, and that conflict of interest arrangements were “not adequate”, as the Lyric was “pursuing patronage” from the successful firm while negotiations were taking place.