Healthcare firm advised by Tory MP handed £133m coronavirus contract ‘unopposed’
Health department agreed deal as part of push to meet 100,000 daily tests target
A healthcare company that employs Conservative MP Owen Paterson as a paid consultant has been awarded a £133m contract to produce coronavirus testing kits without any other firms being invited to bid for the work, according to reports.
Documents seen by The Guardian say that Randox Laboratories was handed the massive contract by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) “without prior publication of a call for competition”.
The deal was agreed under “fast-track” arrangements “that enable public bodies dealing with the pandemic to give contracts to commercial companies” without inviting other tenders, the newspaper adds.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the official notice of the contract, the DHSC reportedly said there was no other way of obtaining the urgently needed testing kits and associated services.
The register of MPs’ financial interests states that Paterson has been a consultant to Randox since August 2015 and is paid “£8,333 a month for a monthly commitment of 16 hours”.
When asked if Paterson had lobbied for the testing kits contract, a government source told The Guardian that the DHSC was “unable to comment on the personnel matters of other organisations”.
Paterson did not respond to a request for comment from the newspaper.
Meanwhile, a statement from Randox pointed out that the company “is only one partner within a multi-partner, national testing programme. The programme is being run and coordinated by the Department of Health and Social Care and they would be best placed to comment on the overall programme.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
News of the contract comes weeks after Buzzfeed revealed that Randox been selling a “rapid Covid-19 home testing kit” online for £120 to consumers and private clinics. Paterson - who was reportedly self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms at the time - declined to comment to the news site on his involvement with the firm.
Documents obtained by The Guardian last year found that Paterson had also held meetings with officials and a government minister asking them to take steps that would benefit Randox and another film that he advises, Lynn’s Country Foods.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'The Hum': the real-life noise behind The Listeners
In The Spotlight Can some of us also hear the disturbing sound that plagues characters in the hit TV show – and where is it coming from?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Are we any closer to identifying UFOs?
Podcast Plus, will deals with Tunisia and Kurdistan help Labour? And what next for the Wagner Group?
By The Week Staff Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Bob Woodward's War: the explosive Trump revelations
In the spotlight Nobody can beat Watergate veteran at 'getting the story of the White House from the inside'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Trump kept up with Putin, sent Covid tests, book says
Speed Read The revelation comes courtesy of a new book by Bob Woodward
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Who will replace Rishi Sunak as the next Tory leader?
In Depth Shortlist will be whittled down to two later today
By The Week UK Last updated