Health
- (a) What is the detailed list of all the companies that provided PPE supplies, including (i) their BBBEE status, (ii) the details of owners and (iii) the key focus areas of the business and (b) what rand value was awarded to each company for this expenditure;
- whether there was any competitive bidding for the supply of PPE; if not, (a) what process was followed to identify and select these companies and (b) if any companies formed part of the supply-chain database; if so, what are the relevant details;
(a) what is the total breakdown of expenditure on PPE and other COVID-19-related expenses, including (i) the procurement of beds, (ii) the hiring of personnel and (ii) acquiring the services of private hospitals and (b) what rand value was awarded to each company for PPE and other COVID-19-related expenditure?
1 and 3. Please received attached detailed response to the questions 1 and 3.
2. The Department placed orders with or sought to confirm availability of stock from contracted, suppliers, but these were unable to supply. At the same time, the Department was approached by suppliers who claimed to have obtained available stock of various PPE products. Thus the decision was taken to respond to the suppliers who had offered available stock to the Department. PPE was needed for frontline health workers, and it was an urgent priority in exceptional circumstances to get these given lack of supply globally. If we had not procured the available PPE, we would have had major healthcare infections that could have collapsed our health response.
This procurement was not done by a random process. Availability, quality & price of the PPE procured was of imperative importance to the Department during the pandemic. Products were verified through the Department’s internal quality control process. This process included a panel of clinical experts to review the product samples provided by prospective suppliers. The main aim of this process was to ensure quality and safety in the absence of stock at national level.
