Recommendation 16

In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, government departments and public bodies have needed to procure enormous volumes of goods, services and works with extreme urgency. Our report on Government procurement and supply of PPE found that, by the end of July 2020, government had awarded over 8,000 contracts for goods and services in response to the pandemic, with a value of £18 billion. The Department and its national bodies awarded 86% of the contracts. We were concerned, however, that government’s response to the need to procure very quickly opened up significant procurement risks.35 Whilst the government is permitted under 2015 regulations to award contracts without tendering in emergency circumstances, this ability to bypass the normal rules should always be accompanied by transparency, as it is taxpayers who will foot the bill.36