In a similar vein there was a news story that popped up on my social media today about the value £1bn worth of contracts awarded without tender. The alternative is a tender process that delays the start date and might mean you end up working with someone new - not necessarily a bad thing but I can understand the desire to work with existing partners who you already have a relationship with if time is of the essence. use the laws allowing you to act quickly to send hundreds of millions in the direction of your friend's companies knowing they wouldn't win a tendering process because they're an asset management company based in Bermuda or a veterinary supplies company with no stock.
Quote from: Duncan campbell on October 12, 2020, 08:16:16 amAnyone know where to find if your area is medium, high or very high risk? As far as I can see this is still in the ‘pre announced’ stage as Galpinos said, looks like it will be announced this evening.
Anyone know where to find if your area is medium, high or very high risk?
Anyone know where to find if your area is medium, high or very high risk? Really worried about Sheffield being judged high risk and the walls closing. Think that might kill me at the minute.
This is a right dogs dinner of a pre announcement. Even by this governments dealings its a fucking shambles. ... In theory - the three tiers/traffic lights - whatever is a good idea - simplifying things. WELL DONE (NZ did this 6 months ago BTW...). But how its being brought in is a shit show of bad information/message management at the moment.
Quote from: galpinos on October 12, 2020, 07:40:05 amWhat I find frustrating is if we need to lockdown, why the wait? The traffic light system was "pre-announced" last week, will be announced today and will be implemented Wednesday at the earliest?From what I've been reading over the weekend (in such reliable sources as the Guardian), it's because they've spent the last week negotiating with the local authorities to not have them respond with open revolt...
What I find frustrating is if we need to lockdown, why the wait? The traffic light system was "pre-announced" last week, will be announced today and will be implemented Wednesday at the earliest?
there was a news story that popped up on my social media today about the value £1bn worth of contracts awarded without tender. The alternative is a tender process that delays the start date and might mean you end up working with someone new - not necessarily a bad thing but I can understand the desire to work with existing partners who you already have a relationship with if time is of the essence.
They are high in the north east as well but compared to Liverpool manchester and others we look good.
In a similar vein there was a news story that popped up on my social media today about the value £1bn worth of contracts awarded without tender. The alternative is a tender process that delays the start date and might mean you end up working with someone new - not necessarily a bad thing but I can understand the desire to work with existing partners who you already have a relationship with if time is of the essence.
I would still like to think that having a proper stockpile and using trusted domestic producers would have been preferable!
In theory - the three tiers/traffic lights - whatever is a good idea - simplifying things. WELL DONE (NZ did this 6 months ago BTW...). But how its being brought in is a shit show of bad information/message management at the moment.
Quote from: Will Hunt on October 12, 2020, 08:36:08 amthere was a news story that popped up on my social media today about the value £1bn worth of contracts awarded without tender. The alternative is a tender process that delays the start date and might mean you end up working with someone new - not necessarily a bad thing but I can understand the desire to work with existing partners who you already have a relationship with if time is of the essence.This defence of what’s been happening might wash if the contracts had been awarded to companies with even the vaguest experience of the relevant service, or if there wasn’t a long list of contracts going to Cummings/Gove’s pals.
As far as I can tell a significant portion of confusion has arisen because local council leaders/mayors have leaked information in a bid to get their own local restrictions relaxed.
Quote from: Will Hunt on October 12, 2020, 08:36:08 amIn a similar vein there was a news story that popped up on my social media today about the value £1bn worth of contracts awarded without tender. The alternative is a tender process that delays the start date and might mean you end up working with someone new - not necessarily a bad thing but I can understand the desire to work with existing partners who you already have a relationship with if time is of the essence.I guess the above take does have the virtue of common sense Will. Unfortunately what you described didn't actually happen. £252 million contract awarded to Ayanda Capital - https://www.ayandacapital.com/. As you can see they are by their own description a currency trading, offshore property, personal equity and trade financing company. They are owned via a Mauritius company, which is a zero tax haven They were not "existing partners" with whom the DHSC / NHS "already have a relationship". They don't make PPE, they have never previously supplied PPE, they don't have a logistics operation, and have no connection to the medical sector. Via a roundabout route involving a member of the UK Board of Trade they had a promise to secure the full production of a Chinese PPE factory, which they did on a very favourable contract (to them) which appeared to involve no samples or any time stipulation / penalties. Half the masks provided were deemed unsuitable by the NHS due to the fastening, but may be useable in a non-medical setting. Which of course is not why they were bought.There are other well known examples (Clandboyne Agencies, Pestfix, Luxe Lifestyle, etc.). What happened is that there was a rush by government to secure companies with strong contacts in China that could make sure that Chinese-made PPE would come to Britain in an environment described by one company director involved as "like the Wild West". All of this is well documented.It may well be right to say that we were pushed for time and in a PPE crisis so that leveraging mates with the ability to open doors in China was justified, but lets at least recognise that was what happened to anywhere between £1bn and £5.5bn of taxpayer's money, rather than upping orders with existing NHS suppliers in the UK. Legal action is ongoing so the answers will come out in the fullness of time. I would still like to think that having a proper stockpile and using trusted domestic producers would have been preferable!
But it shouldn't be a snap announcement. They should be in constant conversation with local government, leaders and public health officials. There should be a clear "roadmap" as to what would trigger further restrictions so everyone knows what is going on. The "snap decision" scenario we are now in is because the government has been working in isolation, not listening to local leaders and making decisions off the cuff.
My real issue is that the government have burnt through the goodwill from the first lockdown. A lot was sacrificed to get the numbers down for the summer an, in simple terms, we've fucked it and are back to where we were at the start of the year. The public's appetite to lockdown again, only for the government to squander the gains is probably minimal.
There also doesn't seem to be any enforcement..
No idea about the other companies you mention, but Pestfix have been one of my suppliers for 3 or 4 years and I occasionally chat to their sales manager. I had an interesting conversation with them about the PPE contract.. sounded very much a case of small company done well due to their contacts in China.. no supporters of the government etc... i.e. a very different version to what you read on here or in the press. Suppose we'll see what facts emerge down the line.
Eh? Unless you've been orbiting Pluto for the last 6 months then I'm pretty sure you don't need a constant conversation to know what's 'going on' and where cases numbers have been heading... first downwards as a result of national lockdown, now decidedly upwards. I don't get people criticising the lead-in time for consultation before this latest rule change as they're the same people who'd criticise a change of rules brought in 'without consultation'. The Mayor's of Liverpool and Manchester criticising the government's handling is hardly enlightening or evidence of anything - see Andy F's sentiment. Just wait for the announcement this afternoon FFS.
Quote from: galpinos on October 12, 2020, 08:52:38 amMy real issue is that the government have burnt through the goodwill from the first lockdown. A lot was sacrificed to get the numbers down for the summer an, in simple terms, we've fucked it and are back to where we were at the start of the year. The public's appetite to lockdown again, only for the government to squander the gains is probably minimal.On this I agree. I think if you could layer society into strata based on 'willingness to obey the covid rules' then the government has lost many layers of the public who were compliant during March lockdown. I'm in Conwy, supposedly the whole county is in lockdown yet people don't seem to give a shit about leaving and coming in to the county to go climbing or whatever else. I've been obeying the rules but it seems futile when so many are ignoring them. I suppose/hope the policies are based on knowing a certain proportion will ignore the rules. There also doesn't seem to be any enforcement..
Eh? Unless you've been orbiting Pluto for the last 6 months then I'm pretty sure you don't need a constant conversation to know what's 'going on' and where cases numbers have been heading... first downwards as a result of national lockdown, now decidedly upwards. I don't get people criticising the lead-in time for consultation before this latest rule change as they're the same people who'd criticise a change of rules brought in 'without consultation'.
The Mayor's of Liverpool and Manchester criticising the government's handling is hardly enlightening or evidence of anything - see Andy F's sentiment. Just wait for the announcement this afternoon FFS.
One good thing to take from this is the low increase in 0-15yo's...
Quote from: tomtom on October 12, 2020, 12:00:29 pmOne good thing to take from this is the low increase in 0-15yo's...It would appear that the schools are doing a good job and the kids going back hasn’t been a big issue.
It's worth noting there are more patients in hospital with Covid than there were when we went into the last, national lockdown.The statement doesn't seem to clarify "with Covid" or "because of Covid", nor compare ICU stats, but it is a worrying statistic.