Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many contracts were directly awarded without competitive tender outside the high priority lane for supply of personal protection equipment during the covid-19 outbreak; and what the total amount paid was.

Of the 279 Government contracts awarded outside of the high priority lane, the vast majority used emergency procedures under Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This allows the direct award of a contract without competitive tendering in cases of “extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority”.

A small number of these contracts were awarded directly where these procedures did not apply, such as those to other Government departments or where a framework agreement allows for a direct award. The value of the Government contracts awarded outside of the High Priority Lane was £4.1 billion.