Grenfell main contractor Rydon has been accused of keeping its client in the dark so it could recover £212,000 after accidentally underbidding the job because of an “adding-up error”.

The Grenfell inquiry heard that Rydon’s successful bid was £212,000 too low because of a mistake by one of its estimators.

At the same time the client, Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO), needed to make £800,000 of savings itself as its original proposed contractor, Leadbitter, had priced the work at £11.278m which was £1.6m over its budget.

This state of affairs placed Rydon under double pressure to save £1m, inquiry barrister Richard Millett suggested yesterday.

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