Leading counsel to the Inquiry, Richard Millett QC, asked
Blake, who is still an employee at the firm and had previous experience of
cladding projects on the Chalcots Estate and Ferrier Point in Canning Town, a
series of questions about the contractor’s responsibilities under the Grenfell Tower
contract.
Blake assumed the role of contract manager at Grenfell in October
2015, after the departure of Simon Lawrence, visiting site 70-75 times over six
months, while still working as refurbishment director.
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Millett said: “You say in your statement that Rydon’s role
was not to undertake any design work or to carry out the construction work
itself. So, in general , does that tell us that the service that Rydon was
going to provide to its client was really a pure management service?”
Blake agreed that it was.
Rydon responsibilities
But Millett went on: “We’ve seen from the contract that Rydon - and I think you have accepted - was entirely responsible to the TMO for carrying out and completing the design and the construction in accordance with the contractual obligations we’ve seen, not simply managing it and co-ordinating it . Do you accept that?”
Blake replied that he did. He also confirmed to Millett that Rydon was “entirely responsible” to the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) for carrying out and completing the design and the construction in accordance with its contractual obligations and “not simply managing it and co-ordinating it”.
Millett also asked if Rydon had taken responsibility to its
client for the design work carried out by consultants or subcontractors. Blake
replied: “In terms of the contractual chain, that’s where we are. But we would
manage that by flowing those responsibilities to those who are able to provide
that advice.”
Blake also accepted that Rydon remained obliged to ensure that the contract complied with Building Regulations and the products and materials selected on the project complied with British and European standards.
Millett then asked: “In simple terms, Mr Blake, was it your
understanding that you could comply with your contractual obligations simply by
offloading them on to other people?”
Blake replied: “'Offloading' is not correct. We placed that responsibility and employed people to provide that advice. ‘Offloading’ suggests that we’re relieving ourselves of responsibility. That’s not how we do it.”
Millett went on: “So is it right that your understanding at the time was that you couldn’t comply with your obligations, or you weren’t complying with your contractual obligations, simply because you had appointed subcontractors to do the things that you had promised the TMO you would do?”
Blake said: “That’s how we fulfilled that obligation, by
employing people to carry out those items on behalf of the contract.”
He agreed with Millett that Rydon still retained contractual responsibilities.
The Inquiry continues.
