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Getty Photos
The federal government has spent £15bn on protecting gear for medical and care employees
The federal government is beneath stress to overview its Private Protecting Gear (PPE) offers after a Tory councillor obtained main contracts.
The councillor’s firm, P14 Medical, was given contracts to produce face shields price £120m in complete.
Labour mentioned the federal government had “critical questions” to reply in regards to the PPE procurement course of.
The federal government mentioned it had a “sturdy course of” to make sure top quality PPE and business “due diligence”.
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The federal government has spent £15bn on PPE for the reason that coronavirus pandemic started, in response to a Treasury assertion earlier this week.
Of this, the small print of PPE contracts price £1.5bn have been printed on the federal government’s web site.
Third largest contract
In responding to the coronavirus disaster, the federal government has forgone the tendering course of beneath which contracts are often handed out.
As an alternative, it has tended to make use of an emergency process, during which contracts are handed on to firms with out competitors.
P14 Medical, primarily based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, was awarded two contracts price a complete of £120m to produce PPE to the Division of Well being and Social Care (DHSC).
The deal was the third largest PPE contract awarded by the DHSC that has been printed thus far.
Steve Dechan, the director of P14 Medical, is a Conservative councillor on Stroud City Council and campaigned for the native MP Siobhan Baillie on the 2019 election.
The corporate, a specialist in ache administration applied sciences, was handed the contracts regardless of making a lack of £486,000 in 2019.
It recorded a £21,000 revenue the earlier yr.
‘Proud’
The contracts had been awarded on to the corporate and not using a aggressive tendering course of.
In an e mail, Mr Dechan instructed the BBC: “We’re an knowledgeable firm that has been in medical provides for eight years together with PPE that has managed to ship on an enormous contract that the ‘massive firms’ couldn’t.
“I solely know a pair MPs by native campaigning on points, solely met ministers (no present ones) on [general election] marketing campaign trails. By no means mentioned PPE.”
He added: “We’re so proud that we stood up and in contrast to many received it completed and guarded our clients.”
Labour shadow well being minister Justin Madders mentioned the contracts awarded to P14 Medical raised questions on transparency.
“On the face of it this firm’s connections to the Conservative Celebration look like stronger than their expertise in delivering PPE.
“Severe questions must be requested about how they managed to acquire such a profitable contract with none monitor document to talk of.
“Ministers must undertake complete transparency and launch all particulars of how these contracts had been awarded.
“There’s greater than a sniff of contracts being awarded on the premise of who , which may solely be answered by the federal government coming clear on the method they adopted.”
‘Due diligence’
Questions have additionally been raised about contracts awarded to different companies with restricted expertise of supplying PPE or poor latest monetary efficiency.
Campaigners are searching for a judicial overview into the award of a £32m contract to PestFix Ltd, a pest management firm in Sussex.
In a press release, the Division for Well being and Social Care mentioned: “We now have been working across the clock to ship PPE to guard folks on the frontline throughout this world pandemic.
“Nearly 28 billion objects of PPE have been ordered from UK-based producers and worldwide companions to offer a steady provide over the approaching months.
“We now have a sturdy course of to make sure orders are of high-quality commonplace and meet business due diligence.”