Recommendation 14

We wanted to understand the Department’s view of profits made by PPE suppliers and intermediaries, particularly on contracts that have failed to deliver adequate PPE, many of which came through the VIP referral route. Reports continue to emerge of the vast profits that some individuals and companies made through supplying PPE despite much of it being not fit for purpose. One example that we asked about was PPE Medpro, a company that did not exist until May 2020, yet was reportedly able to secure a £76 million profit supplying PPE to the Department.40 The Department was reluctant to give any specifics on this case but said that all of the PPE contracts signed “went through exactly the same due diligence process” and that the decision to award a contract to PPE Medpro would have been made on the basis of the price it was offering compared to other market prices.41 We note that since giving evidence to us, further reports suggest that the National Crime Agency has launched an investigation into this contract with several properties related to the company searched and documents seized.42