The Department for Education has refused to reveal how many contracts it has awarded without a tendering process since schools shut due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Heads have called for greater transparency after the department said it could not divulge which contracts have been awarded to third parties without competition during the lockdown.
It has already emerged that at least four major contracts awarded by the DfE since schools shut have not been subject to a competitive bidding process.
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These include the contract for the free school meals voucher scheme, valued at £234 million, which was reportedly awarded to Edenred UK without tender.
Tes also revealed in June that online school Oak National Academy did not have to bid for government funding that will allow it to carry on in September.
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The DfE reportedly awarded a £60 million contract to deliver its free laptops scheme to Hertfordshire-based company ComputaCenter in the absence of a tendering process.
And £6.45 million in DfE funding to recruit and train Covid catch-up mentors was also given to Teach First without a bidding process. “There will be a competitive funding round next academic year,” the DfE said.
Tes asked the DfE how many contracts it awarded to third parties without tender between 23 March 2020 and the present day, compared with a similar period last year.
The DfE refused to provide a response - stating that, if the details were not published, it could not disclose any further information.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the DfE must “immediately” explain the rationale behind its decision.
“We would urge the Department for Education to be fully transparent about the awarding of contracts, and, if there are good reasons why it cannot divulge any information immediately, to explain that rationale very clearly, and commit to a timescale when this information will be made available,” he said.
The DfE has been approached for comment.
