To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have a list of so-called ‘VIP’ companies, for whom the awarding of contracts to supply personal protective equipment may be accelerated; and if so, what plans they have to publish that list.
Answered on
13 January 2021
The Government issued a public call to action to support the increased requirements of personal protective equipment (PPE). This resulted in over 15,000 suppliers offering their help and support.
The cross-Government PPE team considered that leads referred by Government officials, ministers’ offices, Parliamentarians, senior NHS staff and other health professionals were likely to be the more credible and needed to be initially reviewed with more urgency. This was commonly referred to as a ‘priority’ or ‘VIP’ channel.
At the point of being prioritised these offers went into exactly the same due diligence, technical assurance, closing or contract negotiation and contract award process as all the other offers. About one in ten suppliers processed through this channel - 47 out of 493 - obtained contracts. We do not intend to publish the list of these suppliers as there may be associated commercial implications.