3.22 The new facilities being built by Laser were located in an area of the NPL site where there had been very little scientific activity. Consequently, as construction delays became progressive, the Department was able to continue to use the existing facilities to provide the conditions needed to conduct leading edge scientific research in accordance with the NPL's science programme, albeit sometimes in less than ideal buildings. This fallback meant that the Department was never placed in a position of needing the new facilities so urgently that Laser could have gained a supply side bargaining position.