Latest news with #ProcurementAct2023
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grenfell-linked firms awarded £355m in public contracts since fire
Companies being investigated over the Grenfell Tower fire have been awarded £355 million of public contracts since the deadly inferno, an analysis has revealed. Rydon, Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK, Kingspan and Exova have won 81 contracts advertised on the Government's public sector tender portals since 2017, according to research by procurement monitor Tussell. The revelation comes after Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, told MPs that they were among seven 'mercenary' firms to be investigated and potentially banned from winning any future public contracts over their role in the fire. Ms Rayner claimed the companies had 'put profit before people' and 'shown little remorse' since the fire, which killed 72 people. Rydon, which oversaw the tower's renovation with flammable cladding between 2012 and 2016, has won 13 contracts worth £227 million since the blaze. They included a £99 million tender, awarded by Ealing borough council in October 2019, to regenerate the 1970s-era High Lane Estate in west London. The firm also won a £38 million contract from Sutton council in September 2022 to build 92 new homes. Sir Martin Moore-Bick, chairman of the Grenfell inquiry, found in his final report last year that Rydon had taken 'a casual approach' to fire safety during the project. Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK, the parent company of insulation supplier Celotex, has won 61 contracts worth a total of £127 million since 2017. They included a £70 million contract from Milton Keynes council to regenerate the 1970s-era Lakes Estate and £35 million from Sheffield city council to re-roof local authority properties in the South Yorkshire city. The inquiry's report found that Celotex had engaged in 'systematic dishonesty' when selling the insulation for the refurbishment. Kingspan, which has won nine contracts worth £886,000 in total, provided an insulation product used in the refurbishment which the inquiry found had been marketed with 'dishonesty'. Exova, a firm that has since won one £516,000 contract from a housing association advertised on public sector portals, was commissioned to prepare a fire safety strategy for the Grenfell refurbishment but never completed the task. The announcement by Ms Rayner on Wednesday came as the Government formally responded to the recommendations set out in the inquiry's final report last September. The MP, who is also the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, said: 'Companies must be held to account'. The seven organisations being investigated are: Arconic Architectural Products SAS; Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited, which previously owned Celotex Limited; Exova (UK) Limited; Harley Facades Limited; Kingspan Insulation Limited; Rydon Maintenance Limited; and Studio E Architects Limited. In a written statement, Georgia Gould, the Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary, said the firms would be investigated under new debarment powers in the Procurement Act 2023. The Cabinet Office, Rydon, Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK and Kingspan were approached for comment. Exova UK declined to comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
28-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Grenfell-linked firms awarded £355m in public contracts since fire
Companies being investigated over the Grenfell Tower fire have been awarded £355 million of public contracts since the deadly inferno, an analysis has revealed. Rydon, Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK, Kingspan and Exova have won 81 contracts advertised on the Government's public sector tender portals since 2017, according to research by procurement monitor Tussell. The revelation comes after Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, told MPs that they were among seven 'mercenary' firms to be investigated and potentially banned from winning any future public contracts over their role in the fire. Ms Rayner claimed the companies had 'put profit before people' and 'shown little remorse' since the fire, which killed 72 people. Rydon, which oversaw the tower's renovation with flammable cladding between 2012 and 2016, has won 13 contracts worth £227 million since the blaze. They included a £99 million tender, awarded by Ealing borough council in October 2019, to regenerate the 1970s-era High Lane Estate in west London. The firm also won a £38 million contract from Sutton council in September 2022 to build 92 new homes. Sir Martin Moore-Bick, chairman of the Grenfell inquiry, found in his final report last year that Rydon had taken 'a casual approach' to fire safety during the project. Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK, the parent company of insulation supplier Celotex, has won 61 contracts worth a total of £127 million since 2017. They included a £70 million contract from Milton Keynes council to regenerate the 1970s-era Lakes Estate and £35 million from Sheffield city council to re-roof local authority properties in the South Yorkshire city. The inquiry's report found that Celotex had engaged in 'systematic dishonesty' when selling the insulation for the refurbishment. Kingspan, which has won nine contracts worth £886,000 in total, provided an insulation product used in the refurbishment which the inquiry found had been marketed with 'dishonesty'. Exova, a firm that has since won one £516,000 contract from a housing association advertised on public sector portals, was commissioned to prepare a fire safety strategy for the Grenfell refurbishment but never completed the task. The announcement by Ms Rayner on Wednesday came as the Government formally responded to the recommendations set out in the inquiry's final report last September. The MP, who is also the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, said: 'Companies must be held to account'. The seven organisations being investigated are: Arconic Architectural Products SAS; Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited, which previously owned Celotex Limited; Exova (UK) Limited; Harley Facades Limited; Kingspan Insulation Limited; Rydon Maintenance Limited; and Studio E Architects Limited. In a written statement, Georgia Gould, the Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary, said the firms would be investigated under new debarment powers in the Procurement Act 2023. The Cabinet Office, Rydon, Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK and Kingspan were approached for comment.
Telegraph
26-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Rayner announces investigation into seven firms over Grenfell fire
Angela Rayner has condemned as 'mercenary' seven companies set to be investigated over the Grenfell Tower fire, which cost the lives of 72 people. The firms, criticised by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, could be banned from public contracts after the Government pledged to bring change following the fatal fire. Cladding and insulation companies will be investigated for 'failings' in relation to the west London tower's refurbishment under new powers, Parliament was told. The announcement came as the Government formally responded to the recommendations set out last September in the inquiry's final report. Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, the Deputy Prime Minister said 'companies must be held to account' as she announced the investigation. Ms Rayner, who is also the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, said the seven companies whose products were used to refurbish Grenfell Tower could be banned from public contracts in future. Sir Martin Moore-Bick's long-awaited report was released in September following a seven-year public inquiry which found the 2017 fire had been the 'culmination of decades of failure' by government and the building industry. Ms Rayner told MPs that the report had found firms whose products were used to refurbish the tower, including Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex, had 'acted with systemic dishonesty' and mis-sold their wares. She said: 'Their disgraceful mercenary behaviour put profit before people and exploited the regulatory regime to evade accountability with fatal consequences. 'And to my disgust and their shame, some have shown little remorse and have refused to even help fix the building safety crisis that they did so much to create. 'Companies must be held to account for their role in Grenfell. The parliamentary secretary to the Cabinet Office [Georgia Gould] is announcing today that she will use new powers under the Procurement Act to investigate Arconic, Kingspan, Saint-Gobain as owners of Celotex at the time, and other organisations. 'And I expect swift, decisive action, and will ensure progress is reported.' Ms Rayner earlier said her department had 'failed to act on known risks and ignored, delayed or disregarded matters affecting the safety of life'. The seven organisations being investigated are: Arconic Architectural Products SAS; Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited, which previously owned Celotex Limited; Exova (UK) Limited; Harley Facades Limited; Kingspan Insulation Limited; Rydon Maintenance Limited; and Studio E Architects Limited. In a written statement, Georgia Gould, the Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary, said the firms would be investigated under new debarment powers in the Procurement Act 2023. She wrote: 'These investigations will establish whether the organisations have engaged in professional misconduct for the purposes of that Act.' The organisations would be notified when an investigation was opened, she said, adding that investigations into other organisations could take place. Ms Gould said: 'The new Act allows us to investigate suppliers and, if certain grounds are met, to add their names to a published and centrally managed debarment list, which must be taken into account by contracting authorities in awarding new contracts and undertaking new procurements.' Responding to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report in the Commons, the Deputy Prime Minister said: 'The inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick and his dedicated team uncovered damning evidence of political, corporate and individual failings going back decades. 'These led to the loss of 72 innocent lives – 18 of them were children. 'On that terrible night in June 2017 it was deadly betrayal, a national tragedy that must never happen again. 'I will repeat today what the Prime Minister [Sir Keir Starmer] said in September to bereaved families, the survivors, and those in the immediate Grenfell community, some of whom are with us today in the gallery. On behalf of the Government, the British state and those responsible: I am very sorry.' Ms Rayner went on to say that Sir Martin's 'most devastating conclusion was that every single death was avoidable'. Earlier this month, the Government announced that the tower, the remains of which have stood in place in west London since the fire almost eight years ago, would be 'carefully' demolished in a process likely to take two years. Police and prosecutors have previously said investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry into the fire, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026. Ms Rayner said 'justice must be done' and that the Metropolitan Police had the Government's 'full support' in its investigation. Dawn Butler, a former Labour minister, said all officials who treated the Grenfell residents badly must be held to account. The MP for Brent East told the Commons: 'Will the Secretary of State agree with me that as well as the chief executives of the companies, all of the people in the council who treated the residents badly and didn't listen to them because of what they looked like, everybody needs to be held accountable?' Ms Rayner, in her reply, said: 'I absolutely agree with [Ms Butler]. At the heart of the new regulatory regime is a requirement that all landlords treat their tenants with fairness and respect.' She added: 'Social landlords are required to understand and provide information and support that recognises the diverse needs of their tenants, including those arising from protected characteristics. 'This hasn't been so in the past and, if I'm honest, it doesn't feel when I speak to the residents of the community that it is that today, and that's why I've pushed the council in that particular area. 'And that's why this Government is bringing forward legislation that says we respect people whether they're social tenants or private tenants – they deserve a safe and secure home, and be treated with dignity and respect.'
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rayner pledges ‘change and reform' as she formally responds to Grenfell report
The Government has pledged 'tough action' on the construction industry and stronger rights for residents as it formally accepted recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report. A group representing some of the bereaved welcomed the commitments but warned it will be paying 'close attention' to how they progress. The Government said it is accepting in full 49 of the 58 recommendations made by Sir Martin Moore-Bick when he published his long-awaited report in September. The report concluded the fatal 2017 fire in west London had been the 'culmination of decades of failure' across government and the building industry. The Government said the remaining nine recommendations are being accepted 'in principle', with some requiring 'further consideration' through consultations. This includes a key recommendation for a single regulator for the construction industry, which the report said had become 'too complex and fragmented'. On Wednesday, the Government said while it is committed to establishing a single regulator, it does not believe it would be 'appropriate' for that organisation to undertake testing and certification of construction products, or issue certificates of compliance. Arguing this would 'create a new conflict of interest within the regulator', the Government said it will instead work to strengthen oversight of existing bodies through reforms to the construction products regime. It has launched a consultation, running until May, on regulatory reform in the sector to 'improve public safety, rebuild public trust and ensure the Grenfell Tower tragedy cannot be repeated'. The timeline for wider change is set out in phases, with a suggestion some reforms are unlikely to be delivered before 2028 – 11 years on from the fire which claimed the lives of 72 people. In its update, the Government said it is 'committed to delivering meaningful change as quickly as possible' but that 'given the scale of further change needed, including legislative, we intend to deliver these further reforms using a three-phased approach over the course of this Parliament'. Seven organisations criticised in last year's report are also being investigated for possible bans on public contracts, using powers under the Procurement Act 2023. The Cabinet Office is launching investigations to establish whether professional misconduct has taken place and vowed decisions on debarment will be made 'at pace'. In a lengthy document detailing its wider response, the Government also said it is 'committed to exploring further reforms to deliver systemic change to how residents' voices are heard and reliably acted upon'. The inquiry report noted how the relationship between Grenfell Tower landlords and residents in the years before the fire was 'increasingly characterised by distrust, dislike, personal antagonism and anger'. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, said: 'We are acting on all of the inquiry's findings, and today set out our full response, detailing the tough action we are taking to drive change and reform the system to ensure no community will ever have to face a tragedy like Grenfell ever again. 'That means greater accountability, stronger regulation, and putting residents at the heart of decision-making. 'We must deliver the fundamental change required. We owe that to the Grenfell community, to the country, and to the memory of those who lost their lives.' Grenfell Next of Kin, a group representing some of the bereaved, said it will be 'paying close attention to these words and intentions' from Government, as it repeated criticism of the 'grave mistakes, failures, corruption' it said had led to the deaths. The group: 'We can never forget our beloved kin and we can never forgive the negligence and corruption that led to their deaths. 'The injustice is so great and the measures being put in place now with new laws and reforms are welcomed, but should have been basic requirements for a developed country such as ours. 'Nevertheless let's move forward in the right direction.' On the day the final report was published, Sir Keir Starmer apologised 'on behalf of the British state to each and every one' of the people affected by the disaster. Speaking in Parliament at the time as some bereaved watched from the Commons gallery, he said the 'country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty, to protect you and your loved ones, the people that we are here to serve'. Earlier this month, the Government announced the tower, the remains of which have stood in place in west London since the fire almost eight years ago, will be 'carefully' demolished in a process likely to take two years. Police and prosecutors have previously said investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry into the fire, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Focus on diversity and net zero if you want government contracts, firms told
Companies have been told to focus on net zero and diversity goals if they want to win public contracts under the Government's new procurement rules. In a new guide to procurement published this month, ministers have urged firms to show how they will help achieve Sir Keir Starmer's 'five missions' and provide 'social value' when bidding for public contracts. The guide asks companies to set out how they will 'strengthen community cohesion', 'remove barriers to entry for young people and under-represented groups' and help with 'accelerating net zero' when carrying out projects for the government. Businesses are also encouraged to focus on 'creating opportunities in areas of deprivation' and demonstrate the 'highest standards' of 'environmental sustainability'. Critics said the new guidelines are an example of 'eco zealotry' and 'woke virtue signalling' trumping value for money. The National Procurement Policy Statement replaces a guide drafted under the previous Conservative government as part of its Procurement Act 2023. The earlier guide did not mention net zero and explicitly discouraged 'onerous requirements' for diversity reporting on companies bidding for government work. The latest guidelines also urge government departments to funnel more money to charities and NGOs as part of the new focus on 'social value'. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, said: 'The intention of the Procurement Act 2023 was to maximise value for money for taxpayers. When the public finances are under such strain trying to use it for woke virtue signalling is especially foolish and potentially unlawful.' Andrew Bowie, the shadow Scottish secretary, said: 'It seems this government is more concerned with their eco-zealotry than delivering value for money for the taxpayer. 'By enforcing these mad targets on companies, the British public will face higher bills, and worse services – just to fuel Ed Miliband's own ego and ideology. 'After their disastrous Budget, the Government should be prioritising value for money over eco-zealotry rather than taking another step in the wrong direction and lumbering costs on tax payers.' Lord Kempsell, founder of anti-waste group UK DOGE, said: 'It may be well intentioned but this kind of overly bureaucratic layering will slow down vital procurement and just backfire – it shows why we need UK DOGE right now – the crack team is ready to go, Labour should call us at once.' The procurement process became controversial during the pandemic when the government was accused of cronyism and of wasting billions of pounds of taxpayers money. The Conservatives overhauled procurement in 2023 with a Procurement Act that aimed to make the process simpler and more transparent. In September 2024 the Labour government announced that it would be introducing a new National Procurement Policy Statement because the previous one 'does not meet the challenge of applying the full potential of public procurement to deliver value for money, economic growth and social value'. A Government spokesperson said: 'Our entire focus is on growing the economy, creating high-quality local jobs, driving innovation and opening up opportunities for businesses. 'The National Procurement Policy Statement and Procurement Act does not place any unnecessary burdens onto business, instead it simplifies the procurement process, removing bureaucratic rules and regulations and re-focusing the £400 billion spent each year in procurement to deliver the Plan for Change.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
