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So, back in the day, Matt Hancock's department published a notice of award of a contract to Crisp Websites Limited (trading as Pestfix) https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:230683-2020:TEXT:EN:HTML. THREAD.
And what Pestfix had supplied was: "Delivery and supply of urgently needed gloves, gowns and masks to the NHS supply chain."
On 17 June they told us they had made an error and had only actually purchased isolation suits - for £32m (although they had also entered into a number of further contracts, full details of which would, apparently, have been published in the coming weeks).
And then on 1 July they wrote to us again and told us the isolation suits that had been supplied were sitting untested in a warehouse in Daventry.
Now, just pausing there a few questions emerge...
Now, just pausing there a few questions emerge...
1. If there was sufficient urgency to acquire the suits to bypass all normal procurement rules that exist to ensure value for money, why are those suits sitting untested in a warehouse in Daventry?
2. If you are being sued for spending £108m on PPE from a weird supplier, don't you at least test the suits so you can say to the court "all is fine with the product"? Why would you not do that?
3. The other contracts entered into with Pestfix are supposed to have been published within a 20 day period. So why has Government not published them? And what else did Government buy - the gloves and masks it originally spoke of? ( https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/666728/Guidance_Publication_of_New_Central_Government_Tender_documents__and_Contracts_2017__1___1_.pdf)
Now, I ask these questions because of this story? Turns out that Pestfix has supplied - and admits to having supplied - faulty masks ( https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12288959/millions-of-uncertified-ppe-may-have-been-sold-to-brits/amp/).
Could Government have purchased faulty masks from Pestfix which it doesn't want to tell us about? (Here's what it said on Friday about its ongoing refusal to publish the other Pestfix contracts.)
Could this also be why Govt has not tested the suits in the warehouse in Daventry?
Could this also be why Govt has not tested the suits in the warehouse in Daventry?
We at @GoodLawProject will, of course, continue with our judicial review proceedings against the Government's award of the Pestfix contract using the emergency procedure. And we will let you know what we uncover (we are publishing documents here https://goodlawproject.org/news/the-ppe-fiasco/).
We can confirm that @GoodLawProject has *also* issued judicial review proceedings against Govt's award of contracts to a Northern Irish confectioner (Clandeboye) and a private family fund owned through a dodgy tax haven (Ayanda).
We have more to tell you about these judicial review proceedings and what we will tell you is - and I do not exaggerate - extraordinary. But you'll need to wait a few days.
If you'd like to support these judicial review proceedings you can do so here. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/108million/
If you'd like to support these judicial review proceedings you can do so here. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/108million/
