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Today @NAOorguk report on procurement during COVID-19: contracts worth £18 bn had been awarded by July, of which £10.5 bn was awarded without competition.
Direct awards might be necessary in situations of "extreme urgency" - but this is no excuse to skimp on transparency... /1
Direct awards might be necessary in situations of "extreme urgency" - but this is no excuse to skimp on transparency... /1
Transparency in procurement helps to ensure accountability, and that taxpayers' money is being spent carefully.
Without competition, the risk of unfair/poor value procurement is raised - so a proper record of decision-making is even more important.
/2
Without competition, the risk of unfair/poor value procurement is raised - so a proper record of decision-making is even more important.
/2
To ensure that taxpayers' money is spent wisely, Government needs a record of:
Why was a direct appointment necessary?
Why was a supplier chosen?
How were risks mitigated?
Contract details need to be published in a timely way to allow for public scrutiny.
/3
Why was a direct appointment necessary? Why was a supplier chosen? How were risks mitigated? Contract details need to be published in a timely way to allow for public scrutiny.
/3
It's concerning that @NAOorguk found gaps in some of this reporting.
Incomplete records justifying procurement decisions and delays reporting contracts creates space for speculation and accusations of cronyism - which damages public trust.
/4
Incomplete records justifying procurement decisions and delays reporting contracts creates space for speculation and accusations of cronyism - which damages public trust.
/4
Government needs to be a better customer for the rest of this pandemic and beyond - we've been critical of poor transparency before. 
We laid out arguments and recommendations for better transparency in Please Procure Responsibly (2019).
https://reform.uk/research/please-procure-responsibly-state-public-service-commissioning
5/5
We laid out arguments and recommendations for better transparency in Please Procure Responsibly (2019).
https://reform.uk/research/please-procure-responsibly-state-public-service-commissioning 5/5
