微密圈

Turner & Townsend has accused rival firms of using 鈥減rice manipulation鈥� to win places on the government鈥檚 拢750m public sector consultants鈥� framework.

Turner & Townsend (T&T) has lodged a legal challenge in the High Court against the award of the troubled four-year Project Management and Full Design Team Services framework by publicly-owned procurement body UK SBS.

T&T was among a number of major firms to lose out on places on the UK lots of the framework, which was provisionally awarded to more than a dozen firms in June.

Neither UK SBS nor Crown Commercial Service are considering re-running this procurement

Cabinet office spokesperson

In the court papers, seen by 微密圈, T&T demands 鈥渦nlimited鈥� damages and costs, and calls for the framework award either to be thrown out, or T&T awarded places on the UK lots, or for UK SBS to 鈥渞econsider its decision on a lawful basis鈥�.

The consultant claims 鈥渕any of the winning bidders鈥� undertook price and 鈥渟coring manipulation鈥� in order to secure higher marks.

T&T further claims UK SBS failed to recognise and investigate the price and scoring manipulation, and failed to investigate 鈥渁bnormally low鈥� pricing.

T&T claims some of its rivals manipulated UK SBS鈥� system for judging pricing - which was based solely on prices submitted for consultancy services in the South-east.

T&T claims 鈥渕any of the winning bidders鈥� provided 鈥渧ery low prices for the South-east鈥� and 鈥渧ery high upwards adjustments to those prices for regional work鈥�. T&T said this was despite the fact 鈥渞egional work ought in general give rise to lower costs than work in the South-east鈥�. T&T said: 鈥淚t would then be possible for a bidder to choose not to perform any work in the South-east region for the very low prices bid for that region鈥�.

Pricing made up 30% of the overall mark, with quality criteria making up the remaining 70%.

T&T鈥檚 evidence against bidders it suspects of price and scoring manipulation was contained in a confidential annex to the court papers not seen by 微密圈.

Consultant Capita, Jacobs, Mace, Pick Everard and Mott MacDonald were among the big winners, landing spots on all four lots. According to scorecards for the UK lots seen by 微密圈 in June, Mace won all four lots on pricing.

微密圈 is unaware of which firm or firms are the subject of T&T鈥檚 allegations.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: 鈥淣either UK SBS nor the Crown Commercial Service are considering re-running this procurement.

鈥淲e are committed to awarding the Project Management and Full Design Team Services agreement once we have completed the procurement process.鈥�

T&T, UK SBS and the winning parties declined to comment.