Only with good procurement practice, can we safeguard the lives of the public and healthcare workers.
And yet, we already know of three vast – and inexplicable – procurement contracts for PPE. £108m went to a tiny pest control company with net assets of £18,000, Pestfix. Another £108m went to a modestly sized confectioner in Northern Ireland, Clandeboye Agencies. And another contract, worth £252m, was awarded to Ayanda, an opaque private fund owned through a tax haven. There is no evidence that either of these companies had previously had any experience in supplying PPE.
The more we scratch the surface about the PPE contracts awarded by Government, the more serious questions that arise. Enormous amounts of public money have been dished out, seemingly without any advertising or competitive tendering process. To protect public funds and to try and prevent further PPE procurement failures, we intend to get answers. You can read our our correspondence with the Government Legal Department regarding Pestfix, Clandeboye, and Ayanda here .
Along with EveryDoctor, we have instructed leading procurement lawyers Jason Coppell QC and Brendan McGurk and Rook Irwin Sweeney. If you are able to donate to the crowdfunded legal challenge you can do so by clicking here.