3.4.11 The Inquiry had access to two internal reviews undertaken by the Council in 2002 and 2004 respectively, for doing which they are to be applauded, that examined the lessons to be learnt from both their involvement in the procurement stages of the project and their feedback after the completion of the Phase 1 schools.
3.4.12 It is clear from these reviews that the Council itself recognised that it had failed to appreciate the demands of the PPP process in terms of the requirement for adequate internal resources and external support for internal resources, and that as a result had under-resourced the team that represented or advised the Council as client in the relationship with the Consortium.
3.4.13 Equally, and with some justification in the opinion of the Inquiry given the complexity of the project and the time within which it was delivered, the Council's review concluded that:
"Overall it is recognised that the Council team and project manager, in conjunction with advisers did an excellent job in delivering PPP1."
3.4.14 However, at the time of these reviews by the Council, there was no knowledge of the hidden fundamental flaws in the construction of the external walls that were yet to be discovered.