Rogers hits back at audit of Welsh assembly

Richard Rogers Partnership has challenged figures in a report on the National Assembly for Wales that state its design fee has reached £3.4m.

A report by the auditor-general for Wales said the practice's fees increased from £2m to £3.4m in the two years since the project's inception. The cost of the building nearly doubled from £12m to £23m.

A spokesperson for the practice said the fee applied to the whole design team, not just Richard Rogers Partnership, adding that £3.4m was "overstating" the case.

"It is not a figure that is generated by us and is much higher than the reality," he said.

The report also criticised the architect's fee structure. This was linked to construction value and so provided no incentive to keep down costs.

The report found that design fees rose following changes that in turn increased construction costs.

It also stated that the assembly did not have independent advice from the QS, which was contracted to the architect rather than the client.

The Richard Rogers Partnership spokesperson said the audit was out of date as the practice had agreed a fixed lump sum on 17 October based on the original budget, but refused to reveal its current fee.

A decision on the contractor will be made at the end of December, with work due to start on site next year. Kvaerner and Tilbury Douglas submitted bids on Monday.

The building will be completed in January 2003, almost two years behind the original schedule.

The audit also found that the cost of adapting Crickhowell House and Pierhead Building, which currently house the assembly, has doubled from £5m to £13m.