A businessman who unsuccessfully tendered for a government contract has been instrumental in getting a Tynwald investigation launched.

The Public Accounts Committee is examining the central government procurement process, and particularly ’Quick Quotes’ used for purchases from £10,000 to £100,000, a procedure introduced in June 2017.

Richard Christian, of Castletown, submitted allegations of wrongdoing in relation to a tender process for fire extinguisher servicing.

PAC chairman Juan Watterson wrote to him, thanking him for his submissions and added: ’These have now been considered by the committee and as a result of the information you have provided, it has decided to open an inquiry into government procurement.’

Mr Watterson pointed out that the committee will not conduct inquiries into individual cases but will look at governance and processes, and how efficient and effective these are.

The contract for the provision of fire equipment servicing was awarded in 2016 to Walker Fire (UK) Ltd.

Mr Christian (pictured right), whose tender came fourth out of the five bids submitted, lodged an appeal with the Treasury Audit Division but this was refused in January 2017.

Claim

He then began small claims proceedings for financial loss arising from alleged breaches of government financial regulations. That claim is ongoing.

After the contract was awarded, a significant issue arose concerning the number of government owned properties to which it should apply.

It emerged that 378 properties in fact required servicing, as opposed to the 232 specified in the invitation to tender.

The DoI said the additional servicing could be dealt with as a separate contract and given the value need not be dealt with by way of full procurement and tender process.

But Mr Christian believes the department had breached Treasury financial regulations ’on multiple occasions’, in supplying work outside of those regulations.

He lodged a petition of doleance to overturn the tender process.

But in May this year, his doleance claim was dismissed.

Deemster Andrew Corlett concluded: ’This is not a matter of genuine public importance.’

Mr Christian said he is contesting the Deemster’s ruling, given that the PAC has now sought to investigate his evidence in the public interest.

The PAC has told Mr Christian it will not consider the information he provided in relation to data protection breaches, saying this had already been dealt with by the Information Commissioner.

And it said it would not accept as evidence a settlement agreement he provided as it contains a confidentiality clause.