MoT tests: Hydebank centre faces further delays to open

A caller MoT centre astatine Hydebank which was primitively expected to unfastened successful 2022 volition present not unfastened until mid-2025 astatine the earliest, BBC News NI understands.

The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) has issued a announcement of termination to Worldwide Environmental Products Inc (WEP Inc), a US-based institution which had installed the investigating instrumentality and bundle astatine the centre.

Stormont’s infrastructure curate has accused WEP Inc of “failing to decently instal and committee the instrumentality successful accordance with the contract”.

A caller tender process is owed to get nether mode and that is apt to instrumentality up to 4 months.

The announcement of termination which was issued connected 9 October is the 2nd clip the DVA has attempted to extremity the contract.

A erstwhile effort was made successful February 2022, however, the institution challenged this termination successful tribunal and won forcing the DVA to support the contract.

The caller trial centre astatine Hydebank was granted readying support successful 2019 with a planned completion day of 2022.

The opening was past pushed backmost to March 2023, and past to the extremity of 2023. It is present improbable to unfastened until good into 2025.

Worldwide Environmental Products Inc was awarded a declaration successful 2019 for the supply, installation, commission, calibration and attraction of conveyance investigating equipment, integrated trial lane software, each associated IT hardware, licences and absorption accusation systems.

Earlier this year, the DVA attributed the delays successful portion to "contractual problems" with WEP Inc.

Minister John O‘Dowd has present briefed members of Stormont’s infrastructure committee astir the ineligible disputes and delays.

In the written briefing helium says WEP Inc “failed to spot instal and committee the instrumentality successful accordance with the declaration contempt being provided with each accidental to remedy the myriad of issues which person been identified by the DVA”.

The curate says that, regrettably, earlier this twelvemonth a “significant fig of issues were identified, immoderate of which are wellness and information critical".

He outlines immoderate of the issues as:

• Vehicle assistance certification & safety
• Electrical installation
• User acceptance testing
• Unprofessional attack to cyber security
• Inability to make and proviso a responsibility study system

The briefing goes connected to accidental the DVA disagrees with WEP Inc’s contention that the lone outstanding issues subordinate to “minor amendments oregon enhancements”, and says WEP Inc has “attempted to downplay the value of the outstanding issues”.

On 9 October the DVA issued a announcement of termination to WEP Inc, which had contiguous effect, and advertised a caller procurement contention for the proviso of caller conveyance trial equipment.

“The DVA expects that Worldwide (WEP Inc) volition astir surely garbage to judge the termination arsenic valid. They volition apt contend that the DVA was not entitled to terminate and whitethorn question an injunction restraining specified termination, arsenic they did previously,” Mr O’Dowd adds.

“The DVA expects the tender and valuation play of the caller procurement contention to instrumentality 3 to 4 months.

"The grant of the declaration could beryllium delayed if this is challenged successful the courts by Worldwide (WEP Inc).”

BBC News NI has contacted the Department for Infrastructure for comment.