16

DfE awarded single-supplier contract for free school meals without sufficient capacity evidence.

Conclusion
In 2020 the Department for Education’s (DfE) management of the free school meals voucher scheme during the covid-19 pandemic, was an instance where further information would have been valuable to help manage the risks of the project. DfE awarded a contract through a CCS framework on which there was a single supplier. However, it had limited evidence on the supplier’s capacity to deliver the voucher scheme to the pace and scale required.32
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age 2.5 yrs
Report published 13 Dec 2023