§ Baroness Byfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 27 June (WA 154–55), why Snowie was awarded a road haulage contract through the negotiated procurement procedure when six other firms won contracts as a result of the competitive tendering process; whether any other road haulage contracts were awarded through the use of the negotiated procurement procedure, if so, when they were dated; to whom they were awarded; and for what sums of money. [HL5463]
§ Lord WhittyPursuant to the Written Answer I gave on 27 June (WA 154–55) Snowie was awarded a road haulage contract through the negotiated procurement procedure without the prior publication of an Official Journal (OJEU) notice because the FMD outbreak required us to act very swiftly. As the recent NAO report (The 2001 Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, paragraph 4.51 page 94) made clear, many contracts which would normally have been put out to tender were awarded without competition. The department reverted to normal competitive tendering where the circumstances and priorities permitted. We are unaware of any other road haulage contracts in Northumberland awarded on the basis of the negotiated procurement procedure without the prior publication of an Official Journal (OJEU) notice.