- The
UK government is being sued over a decision to give a local pest-control firm a £108 million ($135 million) contract to supply personal protective equipment (PPE ) during thecoronavirus outbreak. - On Monday, the nonprofit $4 proceedings to launch a judicial review.
- The group said the government only considered one company, Pestfix, for the contract and is yet to disclose the details.
- "It's hard to imagine a good reason why this contract would be given to this company selection. And failures in PPE provision make it vital we understand where procurement is going wrong," the project said.
- Pestfix defended its work to the $4, calling itself "a success story" and saying it has nearly fulfilled its contract.
- The UK Department of Health and Social Care told Business Insider it is unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.
The UK government is being sued for awarding a company with just 16 employees a £108 million ($135 million contract) to supply it with personal protective equipment (PPE) at the height of its coronavirus outbreak.
Pestfix was the only bidder competing for the contract in early April, according to the $4 nonprofit, which on Monday issued proceedings for judicial review at the High Court.
The size of the contract, apparent lack of advertising, and the fact that there was only one bidder competing for it, led the Good Law Project to $4
The UK has signed around 100 PPE contracts with various private-sector companies, according to the group. Those contracts were worth around $438 million in total. The Pestfix contract made up almost a third of this.