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
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Report
Sixth Report - Competition in public procurement
13 Dec 2023
HC 385
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
2.5 yrs
Report published
13 Dec 2023