Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many contracts have been awarded to to private companies using Coronavirus Act 2020 emergency tendering powers; what the value of those contracts is; and for what (a) services and (b) products those contracts are for.

Guidance on how contracting authorities should respond to COVID-19 was published on 18 March. Authorities are allowed to procure goods, services and works with extreme urgency in exceptional circumstances using regulation 32(2)(c) under the Public Contract Regulations 2015. We have made it clear that authorities must continue to achieve value for money for taxpayers, use good commercial judgement and publish the details of any awards made.

To date under the regulation, 636 contracts have been awarded to private sector companies worth £6.2 billion by the Department. Procurement Regulations require the publication of the individual Contract Award Notices in the Official Journal of the European which will contain information on the value, services and products provided under the contract; and we publish certain information on Contracts Finder about contracts awarded.