PwC: D&T Tube report not 'balanced'

The firm said the report, released on Friday following a High Court ruling, was ‘selective’ in the material it chose to use and did not ‘present a balanced view’ of PPP plans for the Tube.

The Deloittes report backs the assertions of London mayor Ken Livingstone and Bob Kiley, the sacked chairman of London Transport, that the PPP agreement does not demonstrate value for money when compared with the public sector alternative.

But according to PwC, the report contained ‘apparent inaccuracies, misunderstandings and unsubstantiated statements’. This, the firm said, may have been due to the limited time, scope, information and access to information sources available, which Deloittes admitted in a letter written to London Underground in July.

In the letter Deloittes said the report should not be relied upon as being ‘comprehensive’ nor should the information contained within it be seen as ‘entirely reliable’ as it had not been corroborated.

PwC said some of Deloittes’ comments contradicted guidance given by the National Audit Office, specifically its criticism of the preparation of the Public Sector Comparator, the model used for determining whether PPP achieve value for money.

Furthermore, PwC said Deloittes had not considered any of the ‘wider factors’ necessary to determine value for money including the benefits of private sector management skills and an assessment of London Underground’s ability to implement large projects.

A spokesperson for D&T said it was the firm’s policy not to comment on matters involving its clients, in this case Transport for London.

Links

Deloittes’ report

The PwC report

NAO to study unedited Tube report

Deloittes dragged into Tube row