UK Inquiry Tracker

COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of personal protective equipment

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 22 Oct 2020 Closed: 19 Apr 2021 Parliament page

In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, public sector bodies have had to procure goods and services with extreme urgency. Under emergency laws brought in at the start of the pandemic crisis, the Cabinet Office - which oversees government’s buying policies - has changed some of the procurement rules for contracts … Read more In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, public sector bodies have had to procure goods and services with extreme urgency. Under emergency laws brought in at the start of the pandemic crisis, the Cabinet Office - which oversees government’s buying policies - has changed some of the procurement rules for contracts relating to the government’s response to COVID-19. Concerns have been raised about some of these procurements, including around a lack of transparency. The NAO has now published two major reports, one on the way government has handled procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic , and one specifically on its procurement and contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) , including: - How PPE was supplied to NHS and social care organisations before the COVID-19 pandemic started - What government did, between the pandemic emerging in other countries and arriving in the UK, to prepare for the provision of PPE in the NHS and social care organisations - How government responded when problems arose in the supply of PPE - The scale of problems in the availability of PPE throughout the emergency This inquiry will take evidence on both reports, examining the scale of Government’s COVID-19-related contracting, how procurement rules have changed and how the government is managing the risks associated with these changes. For a chosen sample of these contracts it will look specifically at who bought what, from whom, and at what cost, during the pandemic - and whether this is delivering value for taxpayers money in the crisis. In mid-December the Committee will hold two evidence hearings on the findings across both these reports. In the first hearing, the Committee will question representatives of frontline medical and care associations. In the second hearing, the Committee will question senior officials at the Cabinet Office and Department for Health and Social Care. If you have evidence on the issues raised in this inquiry please submit it here before 6.00pm on Monday 7 December. Show less

11 Recommendations

18 Conclusions

1 Report

2 Oral sessions

4 Letters

2 Events

Activity timeline 8 events

10 Sep
2021

Correspondence

Correspondence from Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, re PPE Procurement and Supply, dated …

3 Sep
2021

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty-second report from Session 2019-21

10 Jun
2021

Correspondence

Correspondence from Public Accounts Chair Meg Hillier to Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, …

20 May
2021

Correspondence

Copy letter sent to various PPE Suppliers in connection to the inquiry COVID-19 Government procurement and supply of protective equipment

14 May
2021

Correspondence

Correspondence from the Department of Health and Social Care on the Committee's 42nd report of Session 2019-21 - COVID-19 Government Procur…

10 Feb
2021

Report published

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

14 Dec
2020

Oral evidence

COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

10 Dec
2020

Oral evidence

COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions

14 Dec 2020

View on parliament.uk

COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

Alex Chisholm · Cabinet Office David Williams · Daily Mail Gareth Rhys Williams · Crown Commercial Service Jonathan Marron · Department for Health and Social Care Michael Brodie · NHS Business Service Authority

10 Dec 2020

View on parliament.uk

COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment

Dr Chaand Nagpaul · Council of the British Medical Association Dr Emily McWhirter · Royal College of Nursing Gavin Edwards · UNISON Professor Martin Green · Care England

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Government procurement and suppl…	HC 928	10 Feb 2021	29	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 result

17 Recommendation Deferred

Forty-Second Report - COVID-19: Go…

Government had a Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Programme and a stockpile of PPE for managing an...

Government had a Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Programme and a stockpile of PPE for managing an influenza pandemic, but not a coronavirus pandemic (such as COVID-19). Public Health England told us this was because the national risk register identified an influenza … Read more

Government Response

The government agrees with the recommendation to improve PPE management and distribution, stating a target implementation date of July 2021. However, it indicates that a future approach for stockpile management will be confirmed in due course, and a review of countermeasures is underway to recommend procurement, storage, and distribution models, deferring specific confirmation of the requested points.

HM Treasury

View details

Government Response AI assessment · 29 of 11 classified

Accepted 14

Acknowledged 6

Deferred 1

Not Addressed 8

Total 11 recs + 18 conclusions

Correspondence 4 letters

10 Sep 2021 Correspondence from Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, re PPE Procurement and Supply, dated 27 July 2021

Parliament page

10 Jun 2021 Correspondence from Public Accounts Chair Meg Hillier to Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, re Following on from COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of Personal Protective Equipment, dated 28 May 2021

Parliament page

20 May 2021 From committee Copy letter sent to various PPE Suppliers in connection to the inquiry COVID-19 Government procurement and supply of protective equipment

Parliament page

14 May 2021 Correspondence from the Department of Health and Social Care on the Committee's 42nd report of Session 2019-21 - COVID-19 Government Procurement and Supply of Personal Protective Equipment

Parliament page