Contracts, Data and Investigations – COVID-19: Edition 2020-06-19
Biodefense deals, COVID-19 contract dashboards, conflicts in construction, and aid kickbacks.
This newsletter gathers stories covering the use and abuse of government contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Make sure to subscribe to get this newsletter to your inbox. Let us know about your stories and content. We, Sophie and Georg, would love to hear about them.
Just when you thought you’d heard it all about faulty masks and ventilators, the US paid millions for test tubes that turned out to be useless soda bottles. The supplier was formed just six days before getting the contract, reports ProPublica’s David McSwane.
As journalists dig into public contracts beyond the response to the pandemic, defense is an obvious high-risk sector, rife with discretion and loaded with money. The Washington Post’s Robert O'Harrow Jr., Jon Swaine, and Aaron C. Davis shed light on US biodefense company Emergent BioSolutions, a long-time recipient of large contracts that has benefited as the current administration prioritized biodefense over preparations for a natural pandemic. The firm also scored a $628 million deal to help manufacture COVID-19 vaccines.
In Honduras, El Mundo’s Alex Flores scrutinizes conflict of interests and non-competitive awards in the construction of health facilities. This interview gives an insight into his award-winning investigation. Honduras’ public procurement agency has launched a public price comparison tool for essential emergency products. In neighboring Guatemala, No-Ficción’s Carolina Gamazo highlights the dramatic shortage of ventilators across the country, even before the pandemic hit, in an investigation for El Clip’s Centinela project. Across the border in El Salvador, a public official’s plastic recycling firm sold masks to the government, reports Cecibel Romero for Salud con Lupa.
A searchable COVID-19 dashboard has been published in the Kyrgyz Republic by the investigative journalism outlet Kloop. Data can be exported from the platform here.
British nonprofits Good Law Project and Every Doctor UK filed legal proceedings against the government over a “curious” no-bid contract for protective equipment worth £108 million that was awarded to a pest control company with 16 employees and net assets of £18,047. Read more on Pestfix.
It takes two to deliver on a contract. The German government owes suppliers nearly €600 million in outstanding bills for protective equipment purchased at a fixed price, writes DER SPIEGEL.
A review obtained by The New Humanitarian details fraud and corruption in the development sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly among UN agencies. According to the document, suppliers are “expected” to give kickbacks of 10 to 30 percent of the contract value to NGO and UN staff, and kickbacks for local NGOs to participate in programming. Read the investigation by Philip Kleinfeld.
“A key part of investigating public works is understanding the legal frameworks that govern procurement systems, because these are the nooks and crannies where corruption hides. Without guidance to get there, it’s almost blind research.”
Alex Flores, El Mundo, Honduras
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For our recommendations, resources and tools, check our COVID-19 resource page.
This newsletter has been put together by the Open Contracting Partnership. Comments? Suggestions? Got a story to share? Write to Sophie or Georg at media@open-contracting.org. Thanks for reading.
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