The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has been set up to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and learn lessons for the future.
Module 5 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry is the module in which the Government Commercial and Grants Function will have the most significant stake.
It will examine the procurement and distribution of critical healthcare-related equipment and supplies across the four nations of the United Kingdom. This includes items such as PPE, ventilators, oxygen, and PCR/Lateral Flow tests.
The module aims to assess how these essential supplies were sourced and delivered during the pandemic and will provide recommendations to improve procurement processes in future public health emergencies.
The public hearings for this module will take place from Monday, 3 March and last several weeks.
From 3 March, Ministers and Senior Civil Servants, both former and current, will be giving evidence at the Inquiry.
Those who will be giving evidence or will be directly impacted by the hearings have been contacted and the schedule for hearings will be published on the Inquiry website here closer to the date.
The hearings for this module will be held at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Hearing Centre in Dorland House, London, W2 6BU.
Live coverage will be available via the UK Covid-19 Inquiry YouTube channel.
We expect the hearings to attract national media coverage and we recognise this may have an effect on many of you, whether you worked on the pandemic response at the time or for other personal reasons.
If you feel you need support during this time, we would encourage you to speak to your line manager or a mental health first aider who can direct you to your department’s mental health support.
Alternatively, you can find details of your department’s Employee Assistance Programme on the intranet page.
Should you be approached by journalists at any point during the hearings please direct queries to your department’s media team or gcf.communications@cabinetoffice.gov.uk who will inform the relevant department’s media team. They will be able to support you and respond to media queries on your behalf.
The publication date for the final report for Module 5 is yet to be confirmed. Based on other modules, we expect the report to be published late this year or early next year.
Given the scope of the Inquiry, this timeline reflects the comprehensive review of the evidence before conclusions and recommendations are finalised.
Incoming UK Government Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Forzani, said: “I would like to take the opportunity to thank all colleagues who have contributed to the Government Commercial and Grants Function inquiry response so far. Your input has been invaluable in ensuring a clear and accurate representation of the Government Commercial and Grants Function’s role and experiences during this period. The work in buying essential equipment and services to support frontline health workers during the pandemic was unprecedented in recent times and carried out at pace and with improvised conditions in a volatile market environment."
Date: 24 February