Access to the high-priority lane was based on recommendations coming from government officials, ministers’ offices, MPs and members of the House of Lords. The NAO found that there were no written rules which determined the basis on which suppliers should be recommended for the lane, meaning that it was left to the judgment of individuals putting forward the leads. Committee members noted that when MPs passed on leads they were not necessarily based on personal experience or expertise in PPE p...

Access to the high-priority lane was based on recommendations coming from government officials, ministers’ offices, MPs and members of the House of Lords. The NAO found that there were no written rules which determined the basis on which suppliers should be recommended for the lane, meaning that it was left to the judgment of individuals putting forward the leads. Committee members noted that when MPs passed on leads they were not necessarily based on personal experience or expertise in PPE procurement and therefore not in a position to vouch for the validity or credibility of the lead. The NAO found that the process did not clearly record in Type: conclusion | Number: 9 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 3. 1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Ta rget implementation date: July 2021 3.2 The government has consistently stated that it will review its response to procurement during the pandemic and learn lessons from its response to this unprec