During the pandemic, slotxo ใหม่ล่าสุด the government has awarded thousands of contracts to private companies, spending billions of pounds of public money in the process.
They cover everything from personal protective equipment (PPE) - masks, gowns and gloves - to services such as researching public opinion about the government's Covid measures.
But the way these contracts have been awarded - and the huge sums of money involved - have led to accusations of a lack of transparency.
The courts have ruled against the government in two cases.
What are the normal rules?
Usually, when the government needs to buy something, it must start a "competitive tendering process".
A department will publish the specifications of what it wants to buy. Companies are encouraged to bid by saying the price at which they could offer those goods and services, as well as how long it would take, and details such as the quality of the product.
The government then checks that the companies involved would be able to provide what they said they could and signs a contract with the one that offers the best value for money.
This process can take anything from a few months to a few years depending on the complexity of the requirements (whether it is say a laptop or a submarine being bought).
What happens in an emergency?
When the procurement rules were updated in 2015, they included a provision that allowed the government to skip the competitive tendering process in certain circumstances.
The government could go directly to a preferred supplier without any competition. This was called making a "direct award".
These are allowed if there is only one possible supplier or in cases of "extreme urgency" due to unforeseeable events - where there is a risk to life, for example.