Move along... Nothing to see...
Just a government contract for £108m handed without tender to a company that in their last accounts only had net assets of £18k...
Remember, Cummings has long detested pesky EU procurement rules... https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1272478319494168576">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
It all seems very weird.
Prior to this year, the only records of them actually trading as a business are selling pest control products as Pestfix
https://www.pestfix.co.uk/contact-us.asp ">https://www.pestfix.co.uk/contact-u...
And as Birdstop
https://www.birdstop.co.uk/contact-us.asp ">https://www.birdstop.co.uk/contact-u...
And as Bird-X
https://www.bird-x.co.uk/contact-us.asp ">https://www.bird-x.co.uk/contact-u...
I& #39;m really struggling to see how any of the above makes them suitable for carrying out a £109m contract to provide NHS PPE. https://www.ft.com/content/43bb10de-645a-43a4-bb7e-ac3978ec445d">https://www.ft.com/content/4...
UK campaigners seek judicial review of £108m PPE contract award

Pest control company with assets of £19,000 was given government contract in April

https://www.ft.com/content/43bb10de-645a-43a4-bb7e-ac3978ec445d
Quoted from the above article:
The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment.
Dan England, co-founder of PestFix, said it had won the contract because it was small enough to be “dynamic” and had made a competitively priced commercial offer.
“We are a success story. We have not been sitting around on social media casting around for equipment; we had a thriving supply chain with China before the contract. We have nearly fulfilled our NHS contract and supplied over 67m pieces of equipment.”
Can anyone confirm whether this was the case. It seems very peculiar to use a pest control product reseller to import PPE... Particularly in such huge quantities.
Something stinks about this whole deal.
Also, their own website (for a company that calls itself Crisp Websites) was the webserver& #39;s default page when no site is configured on every past version that is viewable on the Internet Archive.
If @JolyonMaugham & @GoodLawProject hadn& #39;t picked up on this, would it even have received any press coverage at all?
Hmm... This doesn& #39;t inspire confidence: https://twitter.com/PaddingtonShort/status/1272481609112002560?s=19">https://twitter.com/Paddingto...
Here& #39;s another thread about which other companies are connected to the ones mentioned above.
Of particular interest are two set up during the last few month. Why the sudden flurry of activity creating new companies now? https://mobile.twitter.com/fascinatorfun/status/1268557239301931011">https://mobile.twitter.com/fascinato...
And interestingly, in a previous wording on their website they admit to being essentially unqualified for the job... https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1272759711746719744?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
But they changed it to something slightly less damning. https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1272760473574924288?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
Another thread of updates to this story: https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1273537890539188226?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
Today the story got a mention in the House of Commons thanks to the SNP& #39;s @Dr_PhilippaW https://twitter.com/Dr_PhilippaW/status/1273567791136813058?s=19">https://twitter.com/Dr_Philip...
And some more developments - Crisp Websites / Pestfix isn& #39;t the only unlikely company to receive orders... https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1275777144875073536?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
And the procurement weirdness continues in this new thread with more vast contacts going to highly unlikely entities (both based on size if company & field of operation).
Seaborne Freight has become the new normal... https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1279311067785633793?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
Design company Luxe Lifestyle Ltd was awarded a £25m contract on 27 April to supply PPE to the NHS. The business was incorporated by fashion designer Karen Brost in November 2018. However, it appears to have no employees, no assets and no turnover.  https://bylinetimes.com/2020/07/02/lifestyle-company-with-no-employees-or-trading-history-handed-25-million-ppe-contract/">https://bylinetimes.com/2020/07/0...
Lifestyle Company with No Employees or Trading History Handed £25 Million PPE Contract – Byline...

Stephen Delahunty reports on another case of a private company with no expertise or experience providing personal protective equipment being engaged by the Government to do so

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/07/02/lifestyle-company-with-no-employees-or-trading-history-handed-25-million-ppe-contract/
Here& #39;s a reminder of the state things were in at the time these vast orders were being placed with unknown entities. https://twitter.com/juniordrblog/status/1280018951116853251?s=19">https://twitter.com/juniordrb...
A few people have been attending about why now than one of these contracts is for £108m. At first glance it seems a slightly odd amount.
I& #39;ve been thinking about this and have come up with one idea that I& #39;ve raised as a possibility on my personal Twitter account.
£108m is equivalent to €119.4m.
This is a little below €120m. Enough so to allow for exchange rate fluctuations etc say.
What the significance of €120m? It& #39;s €100m + 20% UK VAT.
€100m falls into the category of nice round numbers that could well be thresholds of some sort
HMRC actually uses the €100m threshold in various regulations and definitions.
Like this one - Claiming Research and Development tax reliefs.
Could they be hoping to apply for R&D tax relief for instance? It& #39;s a push, but nothing would surprise me. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/corporation-tax-research-and-development-rd-relief">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/...
Claiming Research and Development tax reliefs

Find out if you can claim Corporation Tax relief on your Research and Development (R&D) project.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/corporation-tax-research-and-development-rd-relief
It is part of the definition of what constitutes Small and Medium enterprises.
In Article 2(1) of the Annex, the references … 50 million euros and 43 million euros are to be read as references to … 100 million euros and 86 millions euros (respectively).
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/4/section/1120">https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/200...
You can also find many more mentions by searching for the old value of €50m before it was revised.
It& #39;s in page 6 of the The Indirect Taxes (Notifiable Arrangements) Regulations 2017 for instance:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/600924/1016_Indirect_Taxes__Notifiable_Arrangements__Regulations_2017_Publication_Draft_2.pdf">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/governmen...
That definition (the old annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million) threshold to be an SME seems to appear in various EU regulations like this one.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX:02014R0651-20170710">https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-con...
Now - I don& #39;t know which particular regulation is trying to be avoided here - but there clearly seems to be a €100m threshold used fairly regularly. It could be complete coincidence that we see this £108m (which we now know is just under the equivalent + VAT) multiple times.
Some more media coverage of one of the most obvious of the contract awards.
The Government could face further legal challenges after it awarded a £252.5m PPE contract to a currency trading company owned through an offshore holding firm based in Mauritius. https://inews.co.uk/news/health/government-ppe-contract-private-equity-tax-haven-494587">https://inews.co.uk/news/heal...
Government awards £252m PPE contract to private equity firm

Ayanda Capital Limited, owned through an offshore holding firm based in the tax haven of Mauritius, secured deal to supply an undisclosed number of face masks

https://inews.co.uk/news/health/government-ppe-contract-private-equity-tax-haven-494587
Without this listing in the EU& #39;s OJEU register, one wonders how long it would have taken for anyone outside of those involved being aware of the Ayanda Capital Limited story...
The latest installment in the Pestfix story... https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1280953082516561920?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
Coverage of the (lack of) transparent public tendering story from @GeorgeMonbiot.
This is something that ought to be getting huge news attention, but so far most of the public seem blissfully unaware of it. https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1283282381630246913?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
Now the spending watchdog has been urged to get involved: https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1283848353239969793?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
Michael Gove& #39;s using fancy words to avoid answering Neil Gray(SNP) asking why he allowed a political messaging contract to be awarded to a friend, without competitive tender on the basis of emergency legislation, but before the legislation was enacted.
Why is it that this government seems to struggle so much to count properly whenever the item being counted is PPE? https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1285622489331228673?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
The response a judicial review request over awarding an £840,000 contract makes no attempt, to defend the lawfulness of Mr Gove and/or Mr Cummings’ actions. We, the letter seems to suggest, do not need to explain ourselves; we are above the law. https://goodlawproject.org/news/above-the-law/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=DC">https://goodlawproject.org/news/abov...
They think that they are above the law - Good Law Project

On 11 July, we issued judicial review proceedings against Michael Gove for awarding an £840,000 contract to long-time associates of his and Mr Cummings. You can read the documents relating to that...

https://goodlawproject.org/news/above-the-law/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=DC
Here& #39;s the latest thread of updates in the Pestfix PPE procurement saga.
And the decision still isn& #39;t making any more sense than it did at the start, despite the government being given the opportunity to answer questions about it. https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1289863348171890693?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
The procurement corruption story rolls on.
“Health officials signed a £252 million contract to buy masks for frontline healthcare staff from Ayanda Capital in April in a deal brokered by a government adviser who also advises the company’s board.” https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ministers-waste-150m-buying-unusable-masks-from-banker-5v8390xtp">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/m...
Ministers waste £150m buying unusable masks from banker

Ministers wasted at least £150 million buying masks with the wrong kind of straps from a little-known family investment company, The Times can reveal.Health officials signed a £252 million contract to

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ministers-waste-150m-buying-unusable-masks-from-banker-5v8390xtp
With each turn the PPE procurement story gets more and more extraordinary.
Here& #39;s a new thread from @JolyonMaugham on Andrew Mills and Ayanda Capital. https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1291244082145177600?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
I& #39;m not sure what& #39;s more amazing - the extent of the corruption with the Ayanda Capital PPE contract (and others) - or the fact that the people involved thought that nobody would spot it. https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1291317883512016898?s=19">https://twitter.com/LBC/statu...
Good to see the PPE procurement story finally getting the coverage it deserved all along:
50 million face masks with an estimated cost of £159m bought by the UK government will not be used in the NHS due to safety concerns.
#PPEcorruption #Ayandacapital https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-50-million-face-masks-bought-by-the-uk-government-ditched-over-safety-concerns-12043590">https://news.sky.com/story/cor...
Coronavirus: 50 million face masks bought by the UK government ditched over safety concerns

One of the lawyers suing says it is "a real cause for alarm", but the government says "due diligence" is always taken.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-50-million-face-masks-bought-by-the-uk-government-ditched-over-safety-concerns-12043590
Another beneficiary is right wing meme generatiom startup Topham Guerin, who were awarded a £3m for Covid-19 communications.
Is this the best company to manage the Government’s online response to Coronavirus? What is the public getting for the money? https://bylinetimes.com/2020/07/23/how-two-right-wing-meme-merchants-scored-a-3-million-government-coronavirus-contract/">https://bylinetimes.com/2020/07/2...
How Two Right-Wing Meme Merchants Scored a £3 Million Government Coronavirus Contract – Byline Times

Sam Bright tracks the rise of Topham Guerin, the New Zealand 'propaganda pair' in charge of the UK Government's online Coronavirus communications

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/07/23/how-two-right-wing-meme-merchants-scored-a-3-million-government-coronavirus-contract/
The bit I find stage is why people aren& #39;t more angry about this.
Most of the public came together during the height of the crisis, meanwhile the government was using it as an excuse to spaff money up the wall lining their friends pockets. https://twitter.com/JimMFelton/status/1291300183796584449?s=19">https://twitter.com/JimMFelto...
It has emerged that the person who originally approached the government about the deal was a government trade adviser who also advises the board of Ayanda.
He said his position played no part in the awarding of the contract.

No... Of course it didn& #39;t https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙄" title="Gesicht mit rollenden Augen" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit rollenden Augen"> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-53672841?__twitter_impression=true">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/...
Coronavirus: Safety concerns halt use of 50 million NHS masks

Millions of respirators will not be used by health workers because they may not fit adequately.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-53672841?__twitter_impression=true
Sounds like Pestfix are feeling a little jumpy about their involvement in the #PPEcorruption scandal... https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1291431893389529088?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
How much did profit Ayanda Capital / Andrew Mills / Prospermill make on that sigle mask contract?
It could well have been over fifty million pounds!
And the masks they supplied were not fit for purpose... https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1291432994880847872?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
An interesting detail in the Ayanda Capital / Andrew Mills / Prospermill #PPEcorruption story.
An unlimited company is something very rare to see in the UK.
Suggests that the people involved knew exactly what they were doing and had very specific reasons. https://twitter.com/jneill/status/1291265291201241088?s=19">https://twitter.com/jneill/st...
A video about the #ToryCorruption by @PeterKGeoghegan https://twitter.com/DoubleDownNews/status/1291683638942326784?s=19">https://twitter.com/DoubleDow...
More on the latest installment of the corrupt procurement scandal. https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1296186298617790466?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
Why& #39;s it always friends of Gove & Cummings?
Almost every single time. https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1296336257270915072?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
"The blind driver" https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Gesicht mit Freudentränen" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit Freudentränen"> https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1296455782146420737?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
No denial of the claims.
No defensive argument made to try and justify the bypassing of the normal tender process to award massive contracts to friends. https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1296691267586461697?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
Good to see more positive press coverage of the scandal around PPE procurement. https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1298124970783117312?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
Turns out that awarding contacts to random companies with little knowledge of the market they are claiming to have expertise in doesn& #39;t always deliver reliable results. Who would have thought it... https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1301553899686498307?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
Latest installment. This time we are back to Ayanda Capital again. https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1304294045729120257?s=19">https://twitter.com/JolyonMau...
And another 32 PPE contacts with £934 million... https://twitter.com/Procure4Health/status/1304344912498954240?s=19">https://twitter.com/Procure4H...
And again... £122m to a company only formed 1 month earlier.
The scale of this procurement scandal makes Seaborne Freight seem fairly reasonable by comparison. https://bylinetimes.com/2020/09/14/government-awards-122-million-ppe-contract-to-one-month-old-firm/">https://bylinetimes.com/2020/09/1...
Government Awards £122 Million PPE Contract to One-Month-Old Firm – Byline Times

New details of the procurement scandal emerge, after Boris Johnson is asked about the questionable awarding of Government contracts at Prime Minister’s Questions

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/09/14/government-awards-122-million-ppe-contract-to-one-month-old-firm/
Just another story of a Tory donor getting handed tens of millions in contracts with no public tender process... https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1307240545039912960?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
It seems remarkable to me, just how many disaster capitalists were waiting in the wings for something like the PPE ordering rush.
And equally remarkable that there hasn& #39;t been more fuss about this in most of the media. https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1314548380664766465?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
Something a lot of us are wondering. https://twitter.com/bobbyalbon/status/1314688400595849217?s=19">https://twitter.com/bobbyalbo...
I wonder how many of these contracts would have gone to the same firms if a fair and open competitive tender process was followed... https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1315038427327459328?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
It& #39;s not just PPE.
Covid can be used as an excuse for letting all sorts of contacts to friends and donors without public tender. https://twitter.com/SloughForEU/status/1315042464235954176?s=19">https://twitter.com/SloughFor...
Just in case you thought maybe the government just picked all the most suitable firms for PPE contracts - and they just happened to be run by their mates...
Read this thread https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten"> https://twitter.com/Bill_Esterson/status/1314644083122503680?s=19">https://twitter.com/Bill_Este...
You can follow @SloughForEU.
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